Hebrews 12:1-2 - The rabbit vs. the turtle, which one are you?

A 15-years-old boy was standing at the starting line of a marathon championship race for the first time. His opponent in his side was an experienced runner who has just broken the record for the fastest 100 meter dash runner. He was fast...and boastful. "Let the best man win", he said sarcastically to the boy, "I will be waiting for you in the finish line". It was just a trash talk, but it was really intimidating to the skinny first-timer boy.

When the gun sounded, the record-breaking man seemed to disappear out of his blocks, as fast as a lightning, leaving the rest of the runner miles behind. The boy remained steady and ran in the same pace, focusing on the $10,000 prize in cash. Then, when they entered the second lap, the boy saw the "Flash Man". He was no longer running like a lightning, rather he was slowing down like a jog, hands on his hips, groaning with frustration and exhaustion, he was quitting the race completely. THE BOY WON THE RACE! Steady, but with the same endurance he started, and he finished well.

How many of us agree that our life is just like that race. Our life is not a just a 100 meter sprint. It's a lifetime marathon, long, and somewhat exhausting. Sometimes we are surrounded by a lot of people who seem to be running really fast in the start, but somewhere in the middle, they started to slow down, they got tired, exhausted, and when problems come, they give up. That's why a lot of dreams vanished, relationship collapsed, and a lot of faith grew cold.

Remember the story about the rabbit and the turtle? How the rabbit started really fast, but slow down in the middle, thinking he is already wayyy ahead of the turtle. He got distracted, and he stopped. Finally the turtle wins, not because of his speed, but his endurance and perseverance. How many of us is like that rabbit sometimes, knowing that we are way ahead of the others, we slow down, we let our guards down, and we slack off. It is not the first half of the race that determines whether you will reach the finish line, but it is the second half of the race.

Today, the word of God really encourages us to run with endurance. It doesn't say: run as fast as you can, but it says: ENDURE! To endure means to keep on running steadily despite of hardships and problems. To endure means to focus and persevere. It's a commitment not to give up in the middle, no matter how impossible it seems to win. (Just like the boy or the turtle). They keep running with endurance no matter what's in front of them. We don't want to be like the "FLASH MAN" athlete, or the rabbit. They were FAST but they did not endure. In the end, we want to run the second half of the race faster, better than the first half. Of course, focusing on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, for He will give us the strength to achieve victory. :-)

-yFernandye!-