#runtherace

"The Record-Go Sports" inspires teenagers and young adults to pursue their sports passion while honoring God. Packed with Bible-based principles, stories, and activities, this book teaches how to run life’s race with purpose and faith. Discover how to align your passion with God’s eternal plan and finish strong in His perfect time.

Have you even get to a point when you feel so disappointed and see yourself as a failure? I mean, it was not that you never tried. As a matter of fact, you kept on trying, but you also kept failing that you just felt so tired. 

You are so feeling tired. You only want to back down. Lay yourself on the ground and just let things pass you by. You just want to sleep, get stuck in your room and do nothing... but even that thought alone, makes you feel so tired...

There is an inner voice within you saying that have to keep on moving. You got to keep on moving forward. Telling you that your speed does not matter now, what matter is that - you do not stop. ~that selfish inner voice! It makes me feel so guilty about thinking of giving up. 

But my dear, here what I realized. To pause for a while is okay, everyone needs that at one point in our lives, but to give up is out of the option. God can never use a quitter. There is a story that He is creating in you and He needs you to finish that story. He needs to be glorified in your life. The ultimate accomplishment of a runner is not to win the award but to finish the race. 

So, if you are reading this, my dear... Get up! And finish your race. You are maybe like me, I kept on failing. I lost count of how many times, I ended up facing the ground. But here what I always tell myself...

“No matter how tiring. No matter how many times I felt so disappointed about myself. I can’t afford to give up. I had ran far enough to give up today. I have to keep moving. It does not matter how... I can walk, I can crawl...it does not matter! What matter is I have to keep moving because I have a race that I am close to finish. 

I was reviewing my notes from the last chapter of the book I just finished, The Awe of God, and 2 statements stood out to me, "Since holiness is perfected in the fear of God, it's our Lord's earnest desire for you to be an influencer in this great awakening", and, "it's not how we start this race that's important, but how we finish it."

As I reread that and stewed on these statements, a few things came to mind. With the new ban on TikTok that we all woke up to this morning, I thought it was so fitting to be reminded that I'm called to be an influencer yet the biggest platform many use to be social media influencers in the US has just been banned. Don't get me wrong, I love me some TikTok funnies, it's how my daughter and I communicate. I've never used it to promote a platform or to influence an audience, but I recognize how many were successful in that. I do enjoy sharing my thoughts and what I believe the Lord reveals to me on my blog site and on Facebook and Instagram. These are easy ways to share quickly with a large audience. But we need to also recognize that it's not the only way or even the best way to be an influencer. Sometimes it's not how many people you reach, but the impact on the one who needed it the most. Sometimes is that quiet moment nobody else sees, like praying with the man holding the sign on the corner without judgment and extended a smile and warm hug. Sometimes it's that unexpected conversation at the local coffee shop with a stranger. I'm by no means an influencer by worldly standards, but I do believe I make an impact on those I encounter. I've not always been good at sharing the Word, or being obedient in praying with others when the Lord presses me to, or serving without judgment; it's a process of growing and maturing. But just as that statement from the book said, it's not how I started the race, but how I finish it.

I couldn't help but be reminded of 1 Corinthians 9:24:27. I'm using the Message translation to share, it just hits right;

“You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No lazy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. ”