Monday, April 2, 2018

Finishing Strong

"That I may finish my race with joy" (Acts 20:33 NKJV).

One of my sports heroes is John Stephen Akhwari. He was the runner from Tanzania who finished dead last in the marathon at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. No last–place finisher ever finished quite so last.

Injured along the way—he collided with another runner, dislocating his knee and injuring his shoulder when he hit the ground—Akhawri pressed on and hobbled into the stadium over an hour after the last runner had crossed the finish line.

All the spectators were gone, the stadium was closed and crews were preparing for the closing ceremony when Akhwari gathered up the last of his strength and finished strong. To honor his effort one of the workers picked up a torn finishing tape and held it across the track so Akhwari could break it.

Asked why he continued to the end, Akhwari replied, “My country didn't send me 5000 miles to start the race. It sent me 5000 miles to finish.”

And so, on this my 85th birthday, I pray that you and I may finish the race that is set before us and finish strong.

I must say, however, that my understanding of the phrase "finish strong" has changed with the years. I once thought (and wrote) that we should end our days like Caleb, who at age 85 hied himself up the mountain and slew the mighty Sons of Anak. Finishing strong meant finishing with vim, vigor and verve.

Perhaps that's God's will for a some, but for most of us acts of derring-do are far behind us. So I rather pray that you and I may finish our course full of joy. That’s one way to finish strong!

David Roper

3.30.18

Going and Not Knowing

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing...