Finish the Race

Finish the Race

Dear Champions,

 

I don't know who wrote the following excerpt.  It is, however, a true event, and the scripture is in the excerpt.

 

The Barcelona Olympics of 1992 provided one of track and field's most incredible moments.  Britain's Derek Redmond had dreamed all his life of winning a gold medal in the 400-meter race, and his dream was in sight as the gun sounded in the semifinals at Barcelona. He was running the race of his life and could see the finish line as he rounded the turn into the backstretch. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain go up the back of his leg. He fell face first onto the track with a torn right hamstring. "Sports Illustrated" recorded the dramatic events:  As the medical attendants were approaching, Redmond fought to his feet. "It was animal instinct," he would say later. He set out hopping, in a crazed attempt to finish the race. When he reached the stretch, a large man in a T-shirt came out of the stands, hurled aside a security guard and ran to Redmond, embracing him. It was Jim Redmond, Derek's father. "You don't have to do this," he told his weeping son. "Yes, I do," said Derek.  "Well, then," said Jim, "we're going to finish this together."

 

And they did. Fighting off security men, the son's head sometimes buried in his father's shoulder, they stayed in Derek's lane all the way to the end, as the crowd gaped, then rose and howled and wept.

 

Derek didn't walk away with the gold medal, but he walked away with an incredible memory of a father who, when he saw his son in pain, left his seat in the stands to help him finish the race.

 

That's what God does for us when we place our trust in Him. When we are experiencing pain and we're struggling to finish the race, we can be confident that we have a loving Father who won't let us do it alone. He left His place in heaven to come alongside us in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. "I am with you always," says Jesus to His followers, "to the very end of the age."

 

May we all be able to say the words in 2 Timothy 4:7   I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Held In Your Father's Hand

Held In Your Father's Hand

Dear Champions,

 

I do not know who wrote the short excerpt (it was sent to me).  The Scripture is John 10:28-29 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

 

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.  In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could. Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. 

From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. 

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved. 

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go." 

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

God's Grace

God's Grace

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is from Tim Keller, and the scripture is 2 Peter 3:8-9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God's grace tends to flow from the hard places.  Things that God did for us 30 minutes ago feel like 30 years ago in our hearts.  Disappointments we've had 30 years ago feel like 30 minutes ago in our hearts.   Because of that we're always freaking out.  We do not have a bird's eye perspective showing that God is continually being patient with us.

Ultimately, my heart will not remember what it should remember.  The theme of my life is God's patience with me, and the more I see His patience, the more I relax.  The more I meditate on His patience, the more poised I can be.  To the degree we can grasp His continual patience with us, we'll have poise and peace in the circumstances of life.

Imagine a five-year-old girl, and you're her mommy.  She's been looking forward to going to a birthday party with some of her friends all week.  But on the night before the birthday party, for the first time in her little life, she says a very big, fat lie, and you catch her on it.  This major deception has never happened before.  You say, "Honey, you're going to have to be punished for that lie.  You can't go to the birthday party tomorrow."  And she screeches a cry of despair, and she says, "Why? 

And yet out of this, in her little mind, will flow a transformed character.  As you know, it's life and death for her.  That has to be stopped now.  But she doesn't get it.  And it's from the hard place that this change in character is going to come and flow.  And I want you to know that you and I are considerably further behind the wisdom of God than a 5-year-old is behind her mother.  God's grace tends to flow from the hard places because the ultimate source of God's grace was the ultimately hard place, the Cross.

God wasn't punished for His sins.  He wasn't punished for this bad person or that bad person.  He was punished for you. 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining