Crossing The Finish Line

Crossing the Finish Line

We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 2 Corinthians 6:9

In the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Michael Phelps was aiming to win eight events. If successful, he would break American swimmer Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games. To accomplish the feat, Phelps needed to win the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, which consists of four swimmers from each competing country’s team each swimming one hundred meters of the freestyle, or two lengths of the pool, down and back.

The US team was well behind after the third leg, when Jason Lezak dived into the pool. No one watching in the crowd or glued to their televisions gave him any chance of overtaking France’s Alain Bernard on the final anchor leg of the relay. It looked as though the United States would again lose this relay race—a race they had captured gold in seven times before—for the third straight summer games.

But the crowd and the millions watching weren’t swimming that final lap, and they hadn’t consulted one key person: Jason Lezak. At thirty-two, Jason was the oldest swimmer on the US team. He started the final leg well back of Bernard—the reigning world record holder in the 100-meter freestyle—and at the final turn, he was still a full body length behind. He had many opportunities along the way to concede and accept second place; everyone else had already assumed he couldn’t overtake Bernard’s enormous lead. But there was no quit in Lezak, and with one incredible last stroke he bested the world’s best to win the relay for the United States by a fingertip and set a new world record. And Michael Phelps, with the help of his teammates, went on to achieve his goal.

As I recall hearing in an interview with Lezak after the race, he didn’t think he would have caught Bernard in an individual race—the deficit was too big. However, because it was a relay, Lezak felt he was swimming for his teammates, so he couldn’t just give up. We need to feel that same way—we’re doing what we’re doing for the Lord, so we can’t just give up.

You may not be training for the Olympics, but you do have personal goals that you’ve set for yourself, goals that mean a lot to you, like spending more time with your children or attempting your first half marathon or starting a Bible study. The moment you find reasons to quit, think of Jason Lezak. And thank God that you have the opportunity to be in the race.

Uncommon Key > You will face many moments in your life when you want to throw in the towel. Decide right now that quitting is not an option. You may have been beaten this time, but you are still alive!