Running the Race . . . Together
Your most memorable moments are being formed right now.
A FEW YEARS AGO, something very special happened at the Special Olympics. The smiley-faced competitors were lined up for the 100-yard dash. At the starting signal, all took off, intent on pursuing the goal of the finish line and winning the prize.
As one of the runners rounded a corner, he fell. Tears streamed down the young boy’s cheeks as he sat on the tracks, feeling defeated, worthless, and hurt.
What happened next is one of the most memorable moments in sports history. All of the Special Olympic runners turned back toward the little boy. They gathered around him, linked arms around him, and together they walked to the finish line.
There was not a dry eye in the stadium.
What made this particular moment so memorable? Because it was so counter to our human nature of selfishly going after our own goals. When a woman hurt her leg badly in the regular Olympics, no one turned back to help her. Not one. If they had, do you know what kind of press coverage that would have received? It would’ve been the event of the year. Sports’ Most Unforgettable Moment.
But these Special Olympics runners, although intent on their personal race for the goal, all stopped to put one little boy first. They were a family, joined together in running the race. They had a sensitivity toward each other because each realized he or she had weaknesses too. It could have been any of them who fell that day.
The Special Olympics runners may not have won any individual medals that day, but they did what was most important—they ran the race together. And that made them all winners, not only in the eyes of others but in their own hearts, where it really matters.
You and your man are also running a race every day. As both of you pursue your individual goals, will you stop and turn back to help each other along the way? Will you be a family, bonded together for a common goal?
It is only as you run the race together—as man and woman—that you will grow in grace and understanding not only of each other, but of yourself.
You may not win individual prizes, but you’ll win the best prize of all: a satisfying marriage for a lifetime.
He will be respected, needed, and fulfilled by you.
You will receive from him daily affection, open, honest communication, and commitment to your family.
You will have the marriage you’ve always wanted.