Finish the Race
When Rusty and I first married, we lived in a rent house near the Homochitto River. We spent a lot of time there swimming and fishing. We made several float trips down different stretches of the river with our friends Sonya and Robbie. The guys would usually fish as we would drift down the river in a canoe or flat bottom boat. Depending on how many miles we planned to travel and how the fish were biting, the float would sometimes last all day.
One year, the local paper advertised a river race. It was to start at the Highway 98 Bridge and go to Sullivan's Bridge. Surely this was something Sonya and I could do. We had floated so many stretches of that river with Rusty and Robbie we figured we should be pros at it by this time.
On the day of the race, we pulled up hauling a borrowed aluminum canoe complete with a flat back where a motor could be mounted. A few guys that were competing with their lightweight kayaks and canoes were gracious enough to help us unload our beast of a vessel and carry it down to the water.
Since we were used to float trips taking all day, we were prepared with drinks and snacks. Sonya grabbed her paddle and climbed to the front. It was my job to hop in the back as I pushed us off. Just as I was making the last step, my foot sunk into the infamous Homochitto quicksand causing me to fall into the canoe and slam my shin against the side. (An x-ray would come the next day). The pain and the embarrassment from the fall were enough to make me want to turn around and go home, but it was too late, our journey was under way.
Thirty minutes or so into our adventure, I passed Sonya a drink and threw her a Little Debbie. I remember seeing the other boats pass us by and thinking... I guess they don't know to pace themselves. Although we were at the back of the pack, all was going good on our leisurely float. We were enjoying the views and taking our dear sweet time, thinking we were conserving our energy for a long day. Shortly after, we rounded a curve and saw something we thought was going to be much further away... Sullivan's Bridge! It was in that moment that we realized you could make the trip a lot quicker if you didn't have two husbands stopping to fish in every hole along the way. We dug in deep and paddled frantically to not be the very last ones crossing the finish line. We finished last in our class but not overall. We did beat out the two ladies on the slow-moving pedal boat.
It's easy sometimes to find ourselves in similar situations of our Christian walks. We go along in life letting the world pass us by and forget that we were called to do a work for the Lord. He expects us to stay vigilant and steadfast. If we aren't careful, we can become complacent and think that we have plenty of time to finish strong later on while time is ticking away.
My prayer this week is that I remain focussed on Christ and don't allow the things of this world to overtake me, but I instead dig deeper into what He has called me to do and finish strong for Him.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. -Hebrews 12:1-2
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. -2 Timothy 4:7
Finish Strong - Danny Gokey
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