The Parable of the Race

As I was biking home today and thinking about my life and where I am at with Jesus I experienced this parable, this story to picture and point at a core message.

The parable is:

A man runs a race. As the race begins he accelerates from the back of the pack to the front and pulls a little ahead even. As the 400 meter mark comes up he is in first place and feeling good. Then all of a sudden he begins to slow and to slow more. People race by and he who once was first begins to go the middle and then the back of the pack. By the 800 meter mark he is not in last but he is exhausted and somewhat defeated. But the race is a 5k. So he hasn't even gone close to half of the way. But he slowly and painfully as the cramps start keeps going. He even begins to walk. But then he starts slowly jogging again and finishes the race with a really slow time.

Did the man lose the race?

For me the answer is no he didn't lose the race. He definitely didn't win the race but he ran the race, I know because I really did this as a junior in cross country. He finished the race with perseverance.

So here I am having run the race. I feel like a failure. I feel tired and defeated and exhausted. But what God is inviting me to see is the race isn't over. I am tempted to quit after the first kilometer but the race isn't over. The reality is the race towards Jesus is not against anyone else. There are lots of other people running the race some way ahead and some way behind and some watching from the sidelines. In the race towards Jesus you only win or lose at the end of the race and we don't know when that is. Its like running a 5k race but you have never run a race before. You don't know how long it feels to run and you don't know where the finish line is. You are just running and you know you haven't finished yet.

The real question is which race are you trying to win?
The race against others
The race to 400 meters. For me this has been the first two years out of college.
Or the victory of the finish line regardless of which place you are in.

Here I am just past the first kilometer marker. Am I going to go home to the world or run the race to a new home in the kingdom?

Hebrews 12: 1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.