Inspiration Thursday

I enjoy going to the local jr. high and high school track meets. At the junior high level the kids are just discovering where their potential lies and that, with a little training, they will exceed their own expectations. There are two types of races, sprints and distance, but they have one thing in common. The athlete must finish well in order to win. As they grow older they discover that, in a sprint, the start is almost as important as the finish. If the runner doesn't get out of the blocks correctly the race may be over before it has truly started. On the other hand the start of a distance race isn't nearly as important as how you finish. In fact, it is possible for a distance runner to get a slow start, stumble, get trapped in the pack, and still finish well.
Life is much like a distance race. Our start in life is not nearly so important as our finish. The world is filled with stories of men and women who rose out of the depth of poverty, illness, disabilities, etc. to become great leaders and inspirational figures. They may not have had the perceived advantages of wealth, health and advanced education, but they had a heart for success. Every person has a life to live and a race to run. The apostle Paul advises us to "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2) Life is filled with challenges. The choices that we make have a direct impact on the race that we will run and how we will finish. Paul tells us to look to Jesus for the correct answers of how to run this race of life and be successful and you will only find Jesus in God's word and the lives of those He has changed. Several years ago it was popular for young people to wear a bracelet with W.W.J.D. (What Would Jesus Do) and that is still a question that we need to ask ourselves every day. Whenever life becomes difficult, instead of asking "What am I going to do", ask "What Would Jesus Do" and then do that. One day you will be able to look back on your life and say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day,..." (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
Have a blessed day.