The other day, I was able to take photos of a triathlon my brother was in. That got me thinking. People say life is like a marathon. I think it is more like a triathlon. A triathlon has three stages: swimming, biking, and running. Life also has multiple stages, even our spiritual lives. Where I am with God today, is radically different than it was three years ago and that was very different than ten years ago. I am in a different stage of relationship and service, it looks radically different than it did, just like the different parts of a triathlon are quite different.
As I went through the pictures I caught of the triathlon, many parallels with the Christian race came to mind.
When you start off your spiritual life you are eager to get going. You may have started off with a group. Others might have been in the same place of the journey with you.
However, it seems the further along in our Christian life the more spread out people get.
Life changes from one event to another, but we must keep our eyes focused on Jesus…
…when it feels like we cannot get enough oxygen…
…when we are full of joy and happiness…
…and when we feel like we are going to die.
Some people will just be along for the ride, having fun, not taking the Christian race seriously.
Others will be focused, pressing toward Christ for all they are worth, leaving others in the dust.
Do not get discouraged by these, or the ones who are almost finished and you feel like you’ve barely begun. (The guy running is less than a quarter mile from the finish line. The bikers still have to run 5.3 miles.)
You have to run the race God has given you. Not the race He gave to your brother or sister.
You may run stretches alone.
Other stretches will be run with a group of people around you.
You may see others with a group around them, but feel like you are alone. That’s alright. Christ is always with you.
So when it gets hard, grit your teeth…
…push on through whatever comes your way…
…and rejoice. The finish line is soon. Christ awaits you. He is worth all.
