From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
I have always been competitive when it comes to playing sports.
It doesn’t matter which sport I am playing; I do my best to win.
That being said, I have very few actual “wins” over the years, despite many contests.
Back on April 20 of this year, my middle daughter, Tori, and I ran the Boston Marathon.
This is a tough course and can really break you if you don’t run it wisely.
The downhill portions pound your legs and the hills, which come late in the race, suck what little life is still left in you.
Nevertheless, the course is lined with thousands and thousands of rabid spectators, several thousand volunteers, and 30,000 runners all trying to make it across the finish line on Boylston Street in downtown Boston.
You have to run a qualifying time in another marathon, which is geared to your age, in order to get into Boston.
For some, just making it to the starting line is a victory in itself.
I had a good race this year, but I was nowhere near the front of the pack.
These days, I am happy to win my age division in much smaller races.
That didn’t mean that I just lolly-gagged my way through this iconic trip from Hopkinton to Boston, but many others were ahead of me.
Still, I reached my goal of beating Boston’s standard for my age division, for which I am grateful.
The apostle Paul likened the spiritual life to runners running in a race.
Look at what he says in 1 Corinthains 9:24-25: “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.”
The winner of this year’s Boston Marathon was finished a very long time ahead of me, but my eye is on a different prize, and I aim to win that race.
I encourage you to do likewise!
