Untied Shoelaces

UNTIED SHOELACES can frustrate runners. In the 1997 New York City Marathon, John Kagwe’s shoelaces kept him from a record-breaking performance.

Although the race kicked off in 60-degree temperatures, entrants struggled with steady rain and a stiff breeze throughout the course. Despite stops at miles 3 and 10 to retie a problem shoelace, Kagwe, a native of Kenya, led his closest competitors by seven seconds as the race reached the 22-mile mark and wound into Central Park.

Still bothered by the pesky, unraveling lace, Kagwe decided to let it dangle rather than lose more time retying it. Previous experience running with an untied lace gave Kagwe the confidence to believe he could continue without stumbling. A 5:02 time in mile 23 gave the African runner a 25-meter lead. He upped the margin to 50 meters with consecutive 4:56s in miles 25 and 26.

With his shoelace still flapping at the finish, Kagwe, who had finished fourth the previous year, claimed first place in a time of 2:08..12—only11 seconds off the course record of 2:08.01 set by Tanzania’s Juma Ikangaa in 1989. Fellow Kenyan Joseph Chebet’s 2:09.27 time earned him second place, and Italy’s Stefano Baldini took third at 2:09.31.

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POINT What a pain—a flopping, untied shoestring! That lace kept John Kagwe from a record, but it didn’t stop the runner from winning the race. The Kenyan decided not to sweat the small stuff, and his decision paid off.

Too often in life we let pesky, little things interfere with what’s important. We spend time worrying about having the right sports equipment when we should focus on enjoying the sport and learning the proper skills. We search for the perfect present when we should be focusing on the person.

God cares about the small stuff in our life, but he doesn’t want us to get caught up in it and miss out on the power of his Good News. The heavenly Father really wants us to look at the big picture of his kingdom—not the little things of this earth.

GOAL! Try walking around with an untied shoelace. How much did the string bother you? Ask God to help you focus on his Word and not worry about the small problems in life.