Reflections on running the race from 1 Corinthians 9:24 and the movie Secretariat

I saw the movie Secretariat last evening. It is a good “feel good” movie and is based on a truly remarkable horse. I can remember seeing him win the “Triple Crown”. If ever there was a horse that loved to run and run like the wind it was this horse. And, then I thought of Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 9:24, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.”

We are all running the race of life and with Christ we can all win that race. There are those who do stumble and fall during this race. Some choose to bail, many for good, solid reasons – they change jobs, divorce their spouses, become depressed, drop out of society, shut themselves off from others, become a beggar or even take their own life … again some of those who fall within these categories have made some difficult decisions based on solid reasons. As The Rev. O. Dean Martin has stated in his book, "Good Marriages Don’t Just Happen",“There is nothing worse than a broken marriage other than one that should be.”

What is important to remember is that strength comes from getting back up and continuing the race – regardless of the number of times one might fall. It is easy to quite, it is harder to continue … even when all the other runs are so far ahead. Not all of us can be the “Secretariat” in life; not all of us can make the right professional moves that will result in a tremendous income; not all of us can retain the good looks that will open doors, cause the red carpet to be rolled out, heads to turn and courtesies given; not all of us can play first-string or be selected to play on the varsity team; not all of us can Mr. or Miss popularity, the homecoming queen or king, the student body president, head of the class … but all of can run the race regardless of the number of times we stumble, fall and fail … all of us. And in the end, with Christ in our hearts, we will be declared the winner!

Just remember that in the stands sits our Heavenly Father who is cheering us on. Someone has written a beautiful poem called “The Race” that illustrates this beautifully.

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, of if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought “My Dad will be so proud.”
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and amid the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.
And as he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.

But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!”
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”

But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face
with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!”
So up he jumped again to try, ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
But trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try?
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.

“Get up,” an echo sounded low, “you haven’t lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!”
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.

They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy … no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngest crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the roaring crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, ”I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
a stronger voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”

Quote for today: Runners just do it - they run for the finish line even if someone else has reached it first. ~Author Unknown