The long road ahead.
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.
1 Corinthians 9:24
Featuring a true life account of a boy who ran too fast. (he sure wasn’t very wise either)
I always thought I had some idea of what that verse is talking about. But alas, what better way to comprehend that verse than to put yourself in the exact senario as mentioned. (told you he wasn’t very smart) I’d usually take a run along a particular route and complete it but this time I decided to chiong. (oh clever!)
At a particular checkpoint along my route, I looked at the stopwatch and can’t help but be delighted at the pace I was running at.
‘Not bad,’ I thought, ‘I’m already 40 seconds faster with less than halfway more to go!’
And you thought I couldn’t get any more short-sighted than that. 3 minutes later, I nearly dropped dead because my body couldn’t adapt to the sudden increase in pace as compared to the usual speed I run at.
So, do you think I’d feel better being 40 seconds faster at a checkpoint yet fail to complete the race or running at a more comfortable but slower pace and yet complete the race? Being 40 seconds count for nothing if we don’t even show up at the finishing line.
Running fast count for nothing if we cannot last the distance. I think Paul is so wise with the way he wrote: Run in such a way as to get the prize. He didn’t just say: Run fast and don’t stop! Neither did he say: Take a stroll, relax and take it easy!
There will be times in our marathon with God where we’ll have to run fast because there’s a sense of urgency in keeping up with the Spirit; there will be times we have to slow down because God wants us to be still and just listen to Him; there will even be times where we have to stop and catch a breather!
We’re not running just any 42.195km marathon, neither are we running ironman triathlons… these may last perhaps a few hours or even a couple of days; but can you imagine the amount of training put in by triathletes to accomplish that event? What more a lifetime marathon with God!?
The walk back to the starting point after failing to complete the race is a humbling experience (I bet some people are wondering why this saf guy is walking… haha) some people are pressured by external factors to go faster, to overtake others and to appear tough in front of people whereas some people couldn’t care less and take a stroll from the start. Either way, one will probably burn out before he/she reaches the goal and the latter wouldn’t be ready when Christ comes back.
Food for thought: Run in such a way as to get the prize. Am I keeping up with the Spirit and making sure He’s always alongside me? Too slow, too fast or just right? 
