Run to Win

As I sat in the chair at Great Clips in Morrisville, NC yesterday afternoon, the gal cutting my hair asked what was going on with my wife who was sitting in the waiting area with our older daughter.  When I shared the situation, she immediately had a story of her best friend’s Mom who is also dealing with Alzheimer’s.  We discussed many of the common effects of the disease and I mentioned that Piper never really got to the place where she didn’t recognize people. 

As things progressed became unable to verbally respond to their presence.  But yet, I could still see the recognition in her eyes, facial expressions and overall attitude.  Even today I can notice a difference in her when she is around folks that she knows.  There may not be any outward response or recognition signs anymore, but she is always more alert after being with familiar faces and voices… like our daughter’s here in North Carolina!

The hairdresser told me about how her friend had to finally make the tough decision to place her Mom in a home as it was getting too difficult for her to take care of her by herself and work an outside job while other siblings had refused to help with their Mom’s daily care.  It was a decision that was tough on her and on her Mom.  I found that I could only shake my head and hold back the tears as I thought about that situation.  I mentioned to her that I had made up my mind in the early stages of our battle, that I would NEVER do that to my wife!

My decision was made a bit easier for me as Piper’s wonderful health care team in San Francisco wholly supported and encouraged us in that goal.  Here in North Carolina we are receiving the same backup and encouragement.  From what I’ve heard from some of the hospice team that we work with, Piper and I are kind of a “poster child” case for them!  I guess our name comes up a lot in their staff meetings!

Now, you must understand, that I do not say any of this to pat myself on the back, but instead to give Papa God and His Word all the glory!  I read something in a Sunday School monthly lesson book that one of the hospice Chaplin’s gave me to read where it talked about Caleb in the Old Testament.  It described the key that kept him going through all the years of his journey from the brutal captivity in Egypt, through the extended years in the wilderness to his final entrance into the Promised Land.  The key to his success, while the majority of his generation died in the desert, was that he was empowered through his faith in the promises of God.

I can say without reservation, that this is also the main reason that I have been able to keep going through all the difficulties we have faced in this journey.  As I started my morning Bible Study today by re-reading Philippians 3:12, one phrase in particular captured my imagination and kind of “said it all!”  Paul told his readers in this section of scripture that “It’s not that I’ve already reached the goal or have already completed the course.  But I RUN TO WIN that which Jesus Christ has already won for me.” (God’s Word ©)

The picture of running the race of life to WIN simply ran off with my thoughts!  “That’s it!” I stated.  At this point in Piper’s and my adventure in faith, I don’t care what we still have to face because we are RUNNING THIS RACE TO WIN!  Paul didn’t say that he just wanted to keep up with everyone else, to just stay with the pack, to just be able to finish the race… But he planned to run the race with diligence, fortitude and the attitude to WIN the assignment that God had called him to accomplish!

Yeah, I’ve had times when I wanted to drop everything and drive out to the coast for a month or two, but I’ve always come back to the realization that I have a job to do, and by the Word and the grace of God I am going to continue to attempt to do my best on the completion of this responsibility that God must have seen me able to accomplish!  When the job gets REALLY difficult… like last night when Piper was so weak after our all afternoon jaunt in the city (Morrisville and Cary!) that I had all I could do to physically get her changed and ready for dinner… I’ve learned to encourage myself with God’s Word and Paul’s determination in that I am running this race to WIN!  I also remember the often time repeated words and motto of our Pastor and President of our Bible College who declared “I will not be defeated and I will not quit!”

I think that as Christians, we are all called to that same standard!  In whatever it is that you are called to do, you should enter into and continue to live in the standard operating procedure that we are running our race to WIN!  I’ve often heard how motivation is many times the key to professional sports team’s victories when things look lost.  How many times in history have you seen teams that were vastly out-gunned by the talent of their rival, win because of the words of encouragement given by the coach or another player during a time out on the sidelines?

Well, it is those same words of encouragement from coach Holy Spirit in God’s Word that continue to encourage and push me through the hard times to the victory needed at any particular moment!  And as Christians, I believe that we have to get that winner’s attitude the moment we are faced with any difficult situation.  That’s why I often times find myself, just like Caleb, being empowered by my faith in the promises of God that Piper and I have been literally saturating ourselves in for the last ten years!

What about you?  Are you steadfastly running the race that you are called to run TO WIN?  You know, as far as I am concerned… second or third place is just NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

Would you agree with that?

Have a great weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Am I expecting TO WIN the race I am running today?”