Running the Race

Our home with my grandparents was on a tree-lined street in a small town in Ohio. Huge Norway and sugar maples shaded the sidewalks, and I can still remember the sound of the wind whistling through the leaves. In the Fall the leaves would be raked to produce fragrant mounds that were our pretend forts and castles. In the winter, with their snow-lined features, they would stand like stately archways to heaven.

As a young child my most favorite memories were those moments at the end of the workday when Mother would return home. I would look down the length of the street for her rounding of the corner. Then, at full speed, I would run to meet her. She always had a smile and she smelled of the office where she had spent the day. Next, with a chuckle, she would invariably suggest that we race home. It was about a quarter of a mile, but as we ran the distance it seemed much shorter. She had always been a good runner, and I was becoming one as well. In my early years she always won. Gradually I could keep even, and finally I would always win.

Mother’s attitude was always the same. She would giggle with delight during the race, and the glow of her smile would remain much longer than I could understand. Why would she be so happy even when I had won? It was not apparent to me then, but after many passing years I now know her secret. She knew that she was not racing against me, but with me!

Yes, we all tend to think that races are to be run for the purpose of winning. And in the usual sportsman’s sense that is true. But there can be a deeper purpose in an endeavor such as this. Mother had discovered it. Simply stated, the life principle involved here is that some races are to be run together. It is in the mutual effort with another person that we come to know them best.

God understands all of this, and He has even turned the whole scene around. The forgiving father runs to meet the wayward son (Luke 15:20). The Bible verses do not reveal this, but I can imagine them running home together--side by side. I think that is what happened when I accepted Jesus as a young adult.

Have you ever thought of running through life with Jesus? Would He not laugh and hold your hand? He would instill in you that life is a race to be shared with others. The goal is not to win at their expense, but instead the goal is to invite all to join in and to share life with Jesus. The race is a living contact with the heartbeat of God.

As I think back about those races toward home, it was not so great when my mother was ahead. It was not much better for me to win. The most precious times were when we were about even. I believe that is the way Jesus wants it too. My Jesus teaches me to walk or run as a companion in the race of life. On the road to Emmaus He must have been at their side (Luke 24:15). I am to be a companion to my wife, my family, and my neighbor. But also I am to be a companion to the homeless, the prisoner, the elderly in the rest home, and the patient in the bed. I am to bring Jesus with me, stride for stride.
 

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