Life Is a Marathon

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. – 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV) 

All right all right Paul, we get it with all your braggadocious “I” statements above. Jesus loves you better; you’re gonna get the first-place ribbon while the rest of us can only hope for a participation trophy.  

But what’s that there in the last line? Is that an “all” I spy? Like, somehow even us third-rate Jesus people can take turns wearing the crown? It’s almost like you recognize that whatever race you have finished, you didn’t do it alone.  

My goddaughter just ran the New York Marathon last fall, her first. She wasn’t fast enough to be a regular entrant, so she qualified by raising funds for a NYC antipoverty agency. 

She said mile 19 was the hardest, when there was still so far to go and her friends and family up ahead weren’t yet in view. That’s when she started running closer to the curb and the cheering watchers. She’d written her name on her arm in Sharpie, and people called out, “Go Ruby Go! You’re doing great!” 

She was encouraged by the signs people held up: “Remember Your Why,” “Blink if you peed a little,” and a giant avatar of Taylor Swift cooing “In your marathon era!” Mile after mile, they kept her going. A 6-year-old girl ran out of the crowd, took her hand, and jogged along with her for a second, shouting, “Don’t give up! You look beautiful!”  

What would the world look like, she wondered aloud, if we cheered for one another like that every single day? 

Prayer
Queen, until your appearing, may we cheer and be cheered during the most challenging stretches of this marathon of living.

About the Author
Rev. Molly Baskette is the lead pastor of First Church Berkeley UCC and the author of books about church renewal, parenting, spiritual growth and more. Sign up for her author newsletter or get information about her newest book at mollybaskette.com.