Take Time To Realise.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

You know life, can be likened to a marathon :p. In the early days, the Corinthians were regular spectators/participants of the Isthmian games (some sort of Olympics for layman terms), hence they were familiar and could relate to the analogy of running. In 1 Cor 9:24 - 25, Paul says "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever".

He puts it so aptly. Runners don't run to lose! Obviously they run to win. Similarly in our lives we need to run in such a way to get the prize. And to run in such a way to get that prize we need to train ourselves, but we train ourselves not to get perishable wreathes but an imperishable one! It got me asking myself... am i running this race to win that prize? What race is this...well it's the race of life. My life is this race. Am i training myself to run it in such a way to get an imperishable wreathe? Or am i running with a blurred or even worse, mindless aim?

You know, marathons are reaaalllly long (42.195km); let's not go into ultra & triple marathons (side subject :p). To run a marathon...well you need to train. You can't just jump into a marathon and expect to run the 42km++ and beat a whole field of competitors who have prepared for it. HOw do we train? Well, for example, we start gradually don't we? We start with short distances...include some circuit trainings...hit the weights in a general manner. AS time goes by, the distances increase, the trainings get more intense and harder and you have to push yourself more.

I guess life is like a marathon? There is that finish line at the end. But to finish that marathon we need to train for it and then run it. And when we run it... we have to run 41.194km before we can reach that last metre and touch the finish line. The whole process brings across various challenges along the way. Isn't that life? A process where we come across various situations? SItuations that the Lord can use to mould use if we are willing, or situations which we can just look the other way and give up or ignore? Just like how we have to train and overcome the varying levels of difficulties before and during the marathon, so are the situations in our lives. I like to think that they happen coz the Lord is using them to mould us and train us for further and possibly harder challenges ahead.

Many a time i find myself looking for the easy way out in life. Many a time i wish that life could be easier. Many a time i just wish i didn't have to bother about things around me in my life but just focus on what i want to do myself. But the Lord reminded me one day when i was sharing with a friend, that life is like a marathon. It doesn't get easier. And to finish that marathon... you need to go through various obstacles. I can't give up if i want to finish it. If i were to be self-centered and give up, that would be falling short of the finish line. Then it would require double the energy to pick myself up and continue again. It was a good reminder to me, especially at a period where i was getting lazy & unwilling to put in effort due to the tiredness & fatigue from my daily schedules.

Life's not going to get any easier! Looking for the easy option would eventually turn out to be disastrous. It's a marathon that doesn't finish until the day you die. And to run that marathon successfully, we need to run it with aim. Like Paul said "i beat my body and make it my slave so that after i have preached to others, i myself will not be disqualified for the prize". Such fierce determination and devotion to the cause! If i could have a bit of that fiery determination and devotion in my life, for the Lord, i think that would be a step in the direction of completing my marathon.

Personally, i don't like marathons. I think their sheer madness. But this is one marathon which i definitely can't afford to ignore or dislike - this marathon of life :) And i shall continue to pray & ensure that i may constantly make the effort to run it in a way to win the prize and not run it without any aim. My prayer is that i might see the challenges in my life as opportunities to train myself towards that finish line, that i may not become so wallowed in self-centeredness that i could fail to see that the Lord actually wants to use that certain situation to teach me something so as to shape me for His use, now and down the road. And i believe it would be somewhat similar for all of us too :)

There's a race to be run... and as much as i don't really like runnng, by golly we've all got to keep running it :)

"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." Hebrews 12:1

Labels: Marathon...

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