July 24, 2012
Don’t Give
Up!
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
“I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith” - (2 Timothy 4:7 NIV).
Friend to Friend
It was the first swim meet of the year
for our newly formed Middle School Aquatics team. The atmosphere on the three
hour bus ride was electric with anticipation as the band of forty-eight
adolescents thought of nothing but victory. However, the electricity turned into
shock as our minnows filed off the bus and stared in disbelief at their muscle
clad, Neptune-like opponents.
The coach checked the schedule. “Surely there’s been a mistake,” he thought.
But the schedule only confirmed that, yes, this was the right place and the
right time.
The two teams formed a line on the side of the pool. Whistles blew, races
were begun, and races were lost. Halfway through the meet, Coach Huey realized
that he had no participants for one of the events.
“OK team, who wants to swim the 500 yard free style?” the coach asked.
Several hands shot up, including Justin’s. “I’ll race coach!”
The coach looked down at the freckle faced youth and said, “Justin, this race
is twenty lengths of the pool. I’ve only seen you swim eight.”
“Oh, I can do it coach. Let me try. What’s twelve more laps.”
The coach reluctantly conceded. “After all,” he thought, “It’s not the
winning but the trying that builds character.”
The whistle blew and the opponents torpedoed through the water and finished
the race in a mere four minutes and fifty seconds. The winners gathered on the
sidelines to socialize while our group struggled to finish. After four more long
minutes, the last exhausted members of our team emerged from the water. The last
except for Justin.
Justin was stealing breaths as his hands slapped against the water and pushed
it aside to propel his thin body forward. It appeared that he would go under at
any minute, yet something seemed to keep pushing him onward.
“Why doesn’t the coach stop this child?” the parents whispered among
themselves. “He looks like he’s about to drown and the race was won four minutes
ago.”
But what the parents did not realize was that the real race, the race of a
boy becoming a man, was just beginning.
The coach walked over to the young swimmer, knelt down and quietly spoke.
Relieved parents thought, “Oh, he’s finally going to pull that boy out before
he kills himself.”
But to their surprise, the coach rose from the concrete, stepped back from
the pool’s edge, and the young man continued to swim.
One teammate, inspired by his brave friend, went to the side of the pool and
walked the lane as Justin pressed on. “Come on Justin, you can do it! You can
do it! Keep going! Don’t give up!”
He was joined by another, then another, until the entire team was walking the
length of the pool rooting for and encouraging their fellow swimmer to finish
the race set before him.
The opposing team saw what was happening and joined the chant. The students’
contagious chorus sent a chill through the room and soon the once concerned
parents were on their feet cheering, shouting, and praying. The room was
pulsating with energy and excitement as teammates and opponents alike pumped
courage into one small swimmer.
Twelve long minutes after the starting whistle had blown, an exhausted, but smiling, Justin Rigsbee swam his final lap and struggled to pull himself out of
the pool. The crowd had applauded the first swimmer, as he crossed the
line, first place. But they gave Justin the greater cheer, for finishing the
race.
In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul writes, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished
the race, I have kept the faith” (NIV). On some days, when the swimming or
running grows difficult – on those days when I want to quit, I long for friends
and family who will walk the course with me cheering me on. “Come on Sharon,
you can do it!” “Don’t give up! You’re almost there!”
But there are days when I look around and there seems to be no one there to
cheer me on. That’s when I need to look a bit closer, listen a bit more
intently, and hear the still small voice of my Heavenly Father. He’s always
there to pick me up when I fall, hold me when I cry, hug me when I’m feeling
alone, cheer for me when I’m victorious, and love me when I’m just me. And He’s
there for you too.
Our Heavenly Parent is cheering for you, my friend. He’s saying, “Keep
going! Don’t give up! You are precious to Me! You’re not alone! You can do
it!”
Today, feel God’s embrace and listen closely as He speaks to your heart. I
think I hear Him now…
Let’s Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes I feel like
I’m not going to make it. Thank You for friends that come alongside me and cheer
me on when I feel like I’m about to go under. Most of all, thank You for always
being with me and cheering me on in the great race of life. I love You!
In
Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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