Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
1 CORINTHIANS 9:25
The word marathon takes its name from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek soldier who ran twenty-six miles to deliver the news that the Greeks had beaten the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. Sadly, after this hero had reached the city and delivered his message, he promptly fell dead. The thing is, he might have lived had he done a few things differently.
Instead of pacing himself for marathon distance, he ran the entire course as if he were running a short sprint. If he had slowed down a little, stopped occasionally, and taken a drink and some food, in addition to tempering his speed on the grueling uphill stretches, it is possible he could have lived.
Similarly, the Christian life is much more a marathon than a sprint. God wants us to be endurance runners — the kind of people who will run the whole stretch of our race and finish victorious at the end. That being so, it is important that we learn to pace ourselves.
Paul emphasizes the importance of training and discipline. His vivid description of running to win in life inspired me to do some research on what makes marathon runners tick. I studied their preparation, their training techniques, mental attitudes, and other aspects of running. I discovered that the very principles foundational for running a marathon in the natural world are equally applicable to running our spiritual race.
I am aware that many people who started this faith adventure with me have dropped out of their races. The absence of disciplined training and good technique in their lives meant they didn’t have the spiritual stamina to keep going when the going got tough. Instead of running to win, they have been defeated by disappointment, discouragement, distraction, disillusionment, or disease. Training and discipline in the race of life mean making the right choices today to ensure that we run to win. We can’t allow ourselves to be forced out of our races by poor preparation and training.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
How are you preparing for your race through life?