Wednesday, July 27, 2011

At the finish line


Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
(1st Corinthians 9:24)



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


Lord Christ, St. Paul coaches us up and cheers us on to the finish line. There’s an Olympic refrain, but I’ve noticed something significant during a decade of nursing home visits. Most of us don’t sprint to the finish line and break the tape. Most of us don’t get to finish on our own terms.

We may limp or crawl to the finish line. We could be in a wheel chair, hospital bed or alone at home.

Holy Spirit, help me to build up my spiritual muscles. Indeed, they need to be in top form as my other parts begin to wear out or fail.

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:4)

Father, my confidence is not in my running ability. It’s in your abiding care. Amen.

Photo credit: Race of Grace