Sprint or Marathon?

As a student at Melrose Elementary School in Harrisburg, I was always one of the fastest (if not the fastest) kids in my class (I do not mean to brag here. The kids in my classes were always "slow of foot". Even a turtle would appear speedy if racing a snail!). By the time I reached high school and went out for the track team, my 100 yard (yes, we ran yards, not meters in my day!) time was only middle of the pack at best. So not being content with that, I decided to try my hand ("my feet?") at the longer distances. That proved to be a winner for me as I went on to star (OK, a bit of an exaggeration here - but I can dream, can't I?) at the half mile run. Now the half mile is quite a bit different from the 100 yard dash. In the 100, you go all out for the entire 100 yards. In mere seconds, the race is over. But if you are going to run the half mile, you have pace yourself. If you try to run the half like you run the 100 - you will burn out before the race is barely started.

Many Christians, I believe, approach their faith journey more like a sprint. They begin with a burst of speed, only to burn out a short distance down the path. The Christian life is far more like a distance run (think "marathon" (26+ miles) and not merely the half mile). In a distant run, stamina and perseverance are the key to victory. What is true in running is true for our faith journey. We must persevere day in and day out. My prayer for you and for me is that one day, when we are in the twilight of our lives, we will be able to take a look back and say with the Apostle Paul, "I have finished the race" (2 Timothy 4:7).

Thanks for listening,

pj