Enduring the Race

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. http://bible.us/Gal6.9.NLT

Have you ever thought the exact opposite of this? You get tired of doing good and you are inpatient because you are not seeming to "reap the harvest"? Then you see someone doing bad and they seem to be reaping harvest left and right. That's about the time you think to yourself, "what the hell?????"

I've been there many times, I'm sure you have too. Unfortunately, endurance is not something we automatically have. Endurance is the result of hard training, constant work and faith.

I think that endurance is what this verse is all about. Enduring the race of life, doing the right things and helping others to do the same.

It makes me think of NASCAR racing. Sometimes it seems stupid for drivers to go around an oval 200 times turning the same direction over and over. You might think, "that's stupid, how hard can it be".

But think about it, it's not just going around in circles. To finish the race, let alone win it, you have to do the right thing time after time. Every turn has to be perfect, your concentration has to be right on every minute. One wrong decision, one little mistake and the race could be over! Likewise, in our race of life, if we want to finish good and strong, we have to do good.

We might get by with bumping a car here or there. We could get ahead by cutting a corner here or there. Playing a dirty trick on another, but ultimately it catches up to us. Like a NASCAR driver, their car finally gives up, or a mistake puts them in a place where they cant recover. As a result, the consequence plays out in front of millions of spectators. Been there done that!

So part of my motivation to do these messages again is to train and build up my endurance. To do the right thing and help others in my team so we can finish strong in the race of life.