pressing ahead

I don't know how the conversation came up, but I was talking to one of my roommates about a runner from several Summer Olympics back. He was running in the 400 and in the second to last lap, something popped in his hamstring. He fell to the track in excruciating pain. But rather than be carried off in a stretcher, he hobbled towards the finish line. His father ran down from the stands and helped him during his last lap. The scene is depicted in this Visa commercial. I'm inspired by it - perseverance and tenacity at its best.

This started me thinking about races and working towards a goal. For Derek Redmond, even though a gold, silver, or bronze medal would not be waiting for him, it was the promise and commitment to finishing what he had started.

What is my goal? I was reminded of Philippians 3:12 - 14. It's one of my favorites that really helps me to keep things in perspective.

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.