I suffer from far-sightedness. In my law enforcement days I could see a license plate from way off but often close reading gives me difficulty. I do wear corrective lenses but this morning I was still having difficulty.
I was reading a piece and inadvertantly read "Victory is Neat!" I thought "yes it is." Somehow though, the content of the article did not match the quote. It did however, match my heart.
In my earlier days, one of my favorite pass times was track and field. For a couple of years, I competed in the law enforcement games and received medals in several events. One year we ran the 4 X 100 relay. We had our team set with me running the third leg. We had trained hard but individually. Each one of us depended on the other to carry their own weight. We felt good as we ran together only a couple of times before the event.
Two weeks before the event we lost our second leg of the relay. She did not meet the guidelines for the competition and we were forced to find someone else. A relay that short requires a sprinter and unfortunately, we could not find one. The best we could do was a distance runner who was also competing in the 1600 meter run. She required pacing herself while we gave all we had in the time we had.
Needless to say, our starter put us in the lead but when she got the baton to the second leg, we lost our lead. When she gave me the baton we were dead last.
When we crossed the finish line, the story was different...we won the Gold Medal! Victory was neat! I'll tell you though, I had my doubts. When I got that baton I gave it all I had. I heard my father's words in my head as he had worked with me, inspiring me and cheering me on. I knew my father was watching me in the stands and I would not give up until victory was ours. Our anchor [last leg] brought it home. She crossed that finish line before everyone else and Victory was Neat!
It would have been very easy to get discouraged and simply give up in last place. It would have been easier to just give in but I knew we had it in us. I knew victory was near.
Too many times in life we tend to just give up. We throw in the towel when it looks as if we "have lost."
While this morning I read Victory is Neat....it really said Victory is Near.
Sometimes life throws us curve balls like loosing a member of a relay, financial burdens, losing a family member, or divorce. Regardless of the extent of the circumstances, we can not give up. Even when you feel like you're in last place, have no hope or see no way out....keep believing that Victory is Near.
One day God sent his Son to die on the cross so that we might be saved. Some thought they were lost in sin and without hope but Jesus' death on the cross gave us the victory. Don't fall for the lies of the enemy, run for the finish line that offers eternal life in Christ.
The first person I hugged in victory was my father. Remember this, your father has been at your side all along and He is watching you, He is cheering you on. He knows that Victory is Near! Do not give up because when it is all said and done, and you get to hug your Father, Victory is Neat too!
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15: 55-58
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