Anyone Can Start . . . Few Finish

Anyone Can Start . . . Few Finish

The South African Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon is, as you can tell by the name, more than just a marathon. According to the race’s website, “The event goes way beyond merely covering 250 kilometers in extreme conditions; it is a challenge to get past what normal people would regard as crazy, and achieve one’s personal goals.”

I have not run a marathon, nor do I have any plans to do so. But I have learned that anyone can start something, but few finish it. You see, there is a cost involved in crossing the finish lines of life. This cost is sweat, tears, hard work, and perseverance. This cost isn’t paid once, but over and over again as one builds up the stamina to go the distance of the race. It is the case in finances, in marriage, in education, and in business.

I have to confess that I have started many times. I have started a diet, I have started a program, and I have started toward a goal. I also have to confess that finishing is hard, and I don’t always realize the cost involved when I start out, because I don’t add up what it takes to get there.

Our Christian walk is the most important race we need to complete. Jesus’ words in Luke’s Gospel ring true when it comes to finishing as his disciple. He said, “Don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’” (Luke 14:28-30).

Is your faith growing today in such a way that you know you will finish and receive the victor’s crown? As the apostle Paul instructs us in 1 Corinthians 9:24, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!”

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

1 Corinthians 9:24