Digging Deep, Grit and Determination

“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?”

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees…. *”

 

It was a cold afternoon when a large crowd of students and various onlookers gathered on the field of a local middle school for a cross-country meet. The sky was gloomy and gray with the forecast of rain at any time.

Girls’ teams and boys’ teams made up of 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders from two districts were competing. Al and I recognized friends from our church who were there to root for the teams and for their kids specifically. One of the fathers mentioned that he had been involved in track and cross-country, and that his son really didn’t have a choice about running today! All that he asked was that the boy complete the race.

Al liked running long distance and even ran with the cross-country team from the high school where he was teaching. He preferred uphill over downhill, which I found it hard to believe. Downhill sprints, really short ones, were better for me! But Al trained diligently and developed endurance for those types of events.

That afternoon, the girls ran the two miles course around the field first. The claps and cheers of the onlookers as well as the boys’ teams spurred them on. Every girl who ran got applauded for her endeavor, whether first, middle, or last in the pack.

After the last person had crossed the finish line, the boys began their race. We couldn’t pick out our grandson, Nate, from the crowd of purple and blue t-shirts at the beginning. So, Al and I walked across the field to a spot about halfway around the course where the runners would be coming by.

Was Nate even in the race? The first time we saw him compete earlier this year, he had a look of pain on his face as he finished the last leg of the two miles. Nate liked the sport and had signed up for it on his own, but really had to dig deep, grit his teeth and be determined to finish.

Even though we couldn’t find Nate, we did see his mom who was standing at the end point of the race, ready to distribute numbered sticks as each runner crossed the finish line. So, Nate had to be there, somewhere.

 It was a feeling of relief when he came along in the middle of the pack, looking focused and running alone. He did not acknowledge our waves and cheers, but slowed down to a walk once he had passed by. Al and I walked across the field to greet mom Shanda and waited with dozens of others near the finish line, cheering on those in the front of the pack who were already coming in.

Brrr! The wind picked up causing the temperature to drop, feeling more like forty degrees than 50+degrees. Cheering, clapping and moving around was good! It wasn’t long before we spotted Nate, running again at a steady pace towards the goal, with red cheeks from the chilling wind.

He was cheered over the finish line where Shanda greeted him with a numbered stick. After catching his breath, he came over for hugs from his grandparents who were, and are, proud of his grit and determination.

            Guess who came in last, running with another teammate? The kid whose father had told him to finish, even if he had to come in last. Well, he and his teammate got cheers too. No matter what the reason, the important thing was that he finished. Why? Because even that was a victory. Without finishing there is no victory.

Training is of utmost importance to any athlete, as is spiritual training to those of us who have decided to follow Christ. Endurance and determination are needed as we are often tested from both internal and external pressures. When we make the effort, digging deep during those times, we discover that God is with us, working on our behalf. The outcome? Stronger faith… righteousness and peace…victory.

May we finish and finish well!

* Jeremiah 12:5 & Hebrews 12: 11-12 (NIV)