Focusing on the Finish

Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. 2 Timothy 4:11

In the Rio Olympics, one of the most exciting events proved to be the men’s 10,000 meter race. Mo Farah, the defending Olympic champion from Great Britain, was favored to win, if the pace was not so fast as to destroy his trademark kick during the final 400 meters. Three African runners bolted to the front of the pack with the intention of keeping the race at a fast pace. Farah was at the far back of the field of runners when he decided that he should maneuver towards the middle of the pack and run with his training partner from the United States, Galen Rupp. When Farah caught Rupp, he decided to move in front of him and keep a close eye on the Africans in the lead. Then, the unthinkable happened.

When runners in front of Farah were jostling for position, he slowed just a bit to give them room and Rupp accidentally tangled with his friend, sending Farah crashing down on the track! The champion and favorite to win the gold medal was rolling on the track surface while other runners sidestepped him to keep from tripping and falling themselves. Farah was now faced with a decision. He could bang his fists on the ground and crawl to the infield, crying aloud over what had happened, or he could get back up and finish his race. Farah chose the latter. Jumping to his feet as quickly as possible, he looked for Rupp and started running to catch up. Rupp was looking back and calling to his friend, “Get behind me! Get behind me!”

Farah not only moved into a comfortable position behind Rupp to regain his composure, but when the time was right he displayed the strength of a champion and made his move. With legs churning and heart pounding, Farah started toward the front to position himself for the victory. Shortly after the bell rang to signal the final lap, Farah was catching up to two of the Africans who had been in the front for the duration of the race. He eventually overtook them in the final turn and then began to run down the leader, passing him in the final straightaway to secure the win! The man who had fallen was eventually placed on the highest pedestal, received his gold medal, and heard the national anthem of his beloved adopted country as it was played in the massive stadium.

I have often heard the phrase: “It’s not how you start that’s important, it’s how you finish.”  In a spiritual context, there is a lot of truth in that statement. Now beloved, please understand, our God is concerned about each and every step of faith in our lives. He wants us to start well, AND He wants us to finish well. The life of faith is not a sprint, however, it is more like a marathon. Therefore, you and I can take a tumble in the journey and still, by His grace, get back up and keep on running! Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, said, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” Simply stated, the beloved apostle says, “Run to win!”

Paul was not very fond of pouters and quitters. In fact, he and Barnabas parted ways over the failure of a gospel companion, John Mark. As they were making plans for another missionary journey, Barnabas desired to put John Mark back on the team, and Paul said, “No way!” So these two gospel warriors set out on different paths, Barnabas with John Mark, and Paul with Silas. Years later, however, while awaiting death in a Roman jail, Paul requested that Timothy come visit him and bring John Mark, who Paul describes as being “useful to me for ministry.” We do not know all that happened in the life of this young man, but we do know that undoubtedly he had gotten back up from his initial failure while traveling with the apostle Paul and was running his race of faith with passion and focus. We may not know of the cities that John Mark visited or the churches that he planted, but we do know that God used this man to write the shortest of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Mark.

Beloved, you and I may get knocked down on the journey, but don’t stay down. Get back up, start running afresh and anew. Focus not on your failure, but on the finish. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and who knows, you might just end up wearing the victor’s crown!