Run For Success
- Category: Gospel Truth
- Date 05-10-2014
- 384 views
"If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? (Jeremiah 12:5).
During the Rotary Cancer Run (2014), I rolled up to Kalolo ready to race in the 10 kilometre category. There were quite a number of athletic young men and girls but I was particularly stirred by the participation of so many elderly men and women, bulky ladies, young children and people with disabilities. I marked out a tall, thin ageing man who seemed bored about the activity at hand and generally less excited about life. I told myself that if all the other runners proved to be faster, I should ensure that I finished the race ahead of this dismal participant.
The chief runner, Ali Hassan Mwinyi, the former president of the United Republic of Tanzania, stout but aged, soon flagged off the race. Everyone in the crowd struggled to run but there was no sufficient space, therefore we all set off literally walking. We gathered speed gradually as we covered scores of metres away from the starting point. About 400 metres away, I found that I was running ahead of more people than I was following. I began to believe that if I increased my pace, I could emerge as the winner of the race or possibly be recognised among the leading participants. Scripture says, “… they who wait for the Lord shall … run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).
As I struggled and panted along, outpacing more and more people, others who had been far behind gradually also caught up and overtook me. To my shock and dismay, I looked ahead of me and noticed the ‘tall, thin ageing man’ whom I had targeted to beat. He was jogging at comfortable speed. I revived my intention to defeat him at all costs but, like a hunting dog running faster than the hunter, the man progressively increased the distance between him and me before he eventually disappeared from my sight. I would not give up though since the Bible counsels, “… let us also lay aside every weight… let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).
We returned to Kololo amidst gasps and half-breaths. The noise that had marked the start of the race was unmistakeably absent. Few participants, including this writer, cared to know what position they had earned in the running competition. They apparently drew fulfilment from the fact that they entered and completed the race. Everyone walked about the pitch to find out if there were others they knew who had participated in the race. People congratulated others, narrated their varied experiences and generally promised to return should another chance to run appear. Like Paul, everyone seemed to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
Such is the joy we derive from working hard in pursuit of excellence and success. By declaring, “I have finished the race,” Paul implies that he had put every effort into the work of proclaiming the gospel of salvation. He had completed the course set before him. He had done everything in his means and was thus ready to cross the finish line into heaven.
In the case of the Rotary Cancer Run, some people came first. Indeed, a few participants were crowned with awards for exceptional performance. Some people finished close to the winners but did not receive prizes - and I believe I was among them. Others actually came last! On my way home, I saw some people walking towards the finishing line long after the entire ceremony had ended. It is my considered view, however, that all these runners were winners. By virtue of participation, the racer who came off as the very last performed much better than all the people who did not show up for the challenge, regardless of their likelihood to display greater speed if they had participated.
To win the race, one had to participate in the running; but since the organisers could only crown a few participants as winners, to get the accolade was another matter: “…in a race, all the runners run but only one receives the prize…” (1 Corinthians 9:24). The fundamental thing was to play a part, which demonstrated one’s good will towards the cause for which the race was organised. Life is a race and every person who wishes to enjoy success must run. There are countless opportunities towards which you must run, and that is the only thing required of you. In the same vein, there are a myriad of problems from which you should run to improve your status.
At the time of the Exodus, the Israelites had to run out of Egypt in order to escape from slavery. The king of Egypt was told that the Israelites had ‘fled’ (Exodus 14:5). To ‘flee’ is to ‘run away’. Running is so important that we cannot laugh at the man or woman who comes last during the race, as long as they ran. To become the fastest runner is good but it is not the only thing needful. The fastest runner is not necessary always the winner. The winner is he who knows what to do after completing the race. When Peter and John heard that Jesus had resurrected, they went there to confirm. “Both of them were running… but John outran Peter and reached the tomb first…. Then Peter came… and went into the tomb…” (John 20:3-6). Both John and Peter performed very well and won at different levels: John is known for getting to the tomb ahead of Peter; while Peter is recognised for entering the tomb ahead of John. One race, two winners, different ways.
Venansio Ahabwe is a lay Christian in the Archdiocese of Mbarara.
By Venansio Ahabwe
Source: Gospel Truth, Leadership Magazine