Finish the Race

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; 2 Timothy 4:7–8

Tara and her dad were training for her first 5K race. Her dad, who was an experienced runner, had been running with her a little bit longer each day to build up her stamina. Today, they were going to try to make it the entire five kilometers.

They jogged through the neighborhood and then looped around the park, heading toward home on their last leg of the run. Tara started getting a pain in her side, and her legs felt like jelly. “I don’t . . . think . . . I can . . . make it,” huffed Tara. She collapsed onto a park bench.

“I know you can do it, Tara,” said Dad. “Let’s walk for a few minutes. We’re not that far from home.”

Tara moaned. “Oh, I give up! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to run the whole distance. I don’t want to show up at the race and have to walk half the way.”

“Tara, I know you’ve been working really hard getting ready for this race. You can’t give up now! I know you can finish,” said Dad. “This reminds me of the Sunday school lesson I taught your brother’s class a few weeks ago. The apostle Paul was encouraging the Christians in Corinth to finish the race, but he didn’t mean a marathon. He was comparing the Christian life to a race. We can start out feeling excited about knowing and serving Jesus, but then life gets hard and we feel like quitting being a Christian. We don’t think it’s worth all the sacrifices we might have to make. Paul was reminding the Corinthians not to quit when things get hard.”

“I guess I really don’t want to quit,” said Tara. “I just got so tired and out of breath, I couldn’t run anymore.”

“You know, sometimes even in our journey as Christians we can get worn out, especially after we’ve gone through something really difficult,” said Dad. “Rather than quit serving Jesus, we just need to rest, and maybe take a break from some activities or responsibilities for a while . . . kind of like us walking home rather than running.”

“You’re right,” said Tara. “It’s better to finish by walking home than give up finishing at all.”

“Yes,” said Dad. “As a runner and as a Christian.”

How About You?

When life gets hard, do you ever feel like giving up being a Christian? A lot of races give prizes to the runners who finish with the fastest times. But our prize as Christians is spending eternity with Jesus! That’s definitely worth any hardship or difficulty we may face as Jesus followers in this life. When you feel like giving up, remember that you belong to Jesus and keep your eyes on Him.

Today’s Key Verse: 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Finish the Christian race