Meditation

Read 2 Timothy 4:1-8

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.—2 Timothy 4:7 (NRSV)

My son loves to run. He spends hours and hours after school running in our rural community — across miles of terrain that changes from asphalt streets to roughly packed gravel to trails through golden fields where cows graze nearby.

Last year his varsity cross-country team went to the California State Championships to compete with runners from all over the state.

As I stood at the finish line, the first runner to cross was way ahead of the others. Finally, the rest of the racers crossed — some in groups of two or three and others in packs. Then I saw my son run down the last stretch in second to last place. He worked so hard to get over the finish line.

It was when I saw those last runners that I realized how we tend to discount the dedication of those who finish last. We look at the placement of the runners as the sign of their dedication, not at their perseverance in finishing the race. Today’s reading tells us it’s about finishing the race faithfully, not where we place when we cross the finish line. Our crossing the finish line pleases God.

Prayer—Gracious God, thank you for strength to persevere when the race of our lives wearies us. We look to you to keep us moving on. Amen.

Thought for the day—It’s not where I finish but that I finish that counts to God.

—Sarah Lunsford, California