“You don’t have to finish first to finish well,” says John, our teacher on the subject of language learning. “Can that really be true?” I thought as I looked doubtfully up at him, cranky and tired after four days of information overload in session after session during C School. The rest of the class stirred restlessly. Undeterred, John went on, becoming very animated – “The two keys to finishing well are to start well and DON’T STOP!” I’ve never seen a teacher so on fire for his subject. Of course, his is one of the sessions I remember the most from those 2 weeks. So what will it be like to finish well? Seared in my memory is his illustration about finishing well. He showed a video of his daughter crossing the finish line of the Bataan Memorial Death March. Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s a race honoring a special group of World War II heroes in which a team of five “crazy” people with forty pound backpacks on their backs run 26.2 miles over mountainous terrain in the New Mexican desert. During this grueling march, the team must help each other out, supporting one another both physically and emotionally. Isn’t this a perfect picture of the race of life? I’m so grateful for the “running partners” in my life. Without the team, finishing well (if at all) would be impossible. Though team is important, John’s video showed me one thing that is even more important. And that’s the presence of the Father Himself. As John’s daughter crossed the finish line full steam ahead, arm in arm with her teammates, the camera literally shook as John ran the last few yards alongside them, shouting, “Go Falisa! Yay Falisa! Go!” This was the clencher for me. I was moved to tears as I realized that this is exactly what He does for me and all His children. He’s watching, waiting, cheering, loving and delighting in us. He wants us to finish well. And He will be the One to reward us when we’re done. If that doesn’t compel us to finish well, I don’t know what will!
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Finish Well!
“You don’t have to finish first to finish well,” says John, our teacher on the subject of language learning. “Can that really be true?” I thought as I looked doubtfully up at him, cranky and tired after four days of information overload in session after session during C School. The rest of the class stirred restlessly. Undeterred, John went on, becoming very animated – “The two keys to finishing well are to start well and DON’T STOP!” I’ve never seen a teacher so on fire for his subject. Of course, his is one of the sessions I remember the most from those 2 weeks. So what will it be like to finish well? Seared in my memory is his illustration about finishing well. He showed a video of his daughter crossing the finish line of the Bataan Memorial Death March. Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s a race honoring a special group of World War II heroes in which a team of five “crazy” people with forty pound backpacks on their backs run 26.2 miles over mountainous terrain in the New Mexican desert. During this grueling march, the team must help each other out, supporting one another both physically and emotionally. Isn’t this a perfect picture of the race of life? I’m so grateful for the “running partners” in my life. Without the team, finishing well (if at all) would be impossible. Though team is important, John’s video showed me one thing that is even more important. And that’s the presence of the Father Himself. As John’s daughter crossed the finish line full steam ahead, arm in arm with her teammates, the camera literally shook as John ran the last few yards alongside them, shouting, “Go Falisa! Yay Falisa! Go!” This was the clencher for me. I was moved to tears as I realized that this is exactly what He does for me and all His children. He’s watching, waiting, cheering, loving and delighting in us. He wants us to finish well. And He will be the One to reward us when we’re done. If that doesn’t compel us to finish well, I don’t know what will!
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