Finish Strong

In high school I ran track. I wasn’t great but I wasn’t bad. The problem that I had was that I never learned how to properly run any race. I would start off too slow or too fast which always made it difficult to finish the race. I didn’t learn how to pace myself to run a good race. My finish always struggled because my start was bad. Now, I just run for fun…only competing against myself. I set my own rules, but no matter what, I always finish strong.

2 Timothy 2:5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules (NIV).

My lack of skill on the track was a direct translation of how my life played out before I surrendered to God. I was living life with no regard for the rules and it always affected the way I finished a phase of my life. I paid no attention to how I was supposed to handle myself or certain situations. I was frivolous with my money and barely had anything to pay my bills with. It wasn’t that I didn’t make enough, it was only because I didn’t play by the rules. I gave my body away to men I wasn’t married to because I chose not to follow the rules. My life was influenced by people and things that meant me no good, because I didn’t follow the rules.

Most of the times I wouldn’t complete what I started, but if I did I had to drag myself across the finish line.

There was no victor’s crown, only war wounds.

 I would dive in head first without finding out the rules of the game. There were times that I started off too slow and missed out on what God had for me. Or I would run ahead of God and be left with no direction because He was absent from my plans. No matter what the case, I very rarely followed God’s rules. I couldn’t get what He had for me because I didn’t do it His way.

1 John 5:3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome (NIV)

It’s not that doing things according to God’s will is hard. Truthfully, we cause ourselves more heartache by playing to the beat of our own drum. God’s commands are not burdensome. He wants us to run the race and finish with the victory.

I had to learn that breaking the rules only left me with little energy to run the race. I don’t want a consolation prize, I want to WIN. I left my losing mentality right next to my 3^rd place medals.

I train right and I follow God’s rules.

It’s never too late to finish strong. The first of the year brings New Year’s Resolutions that you may or may not keep, promises that were made based on the emotions of the date on the calendar. This is the last week of the 1^st month of 2013: play by the rules, finish strong and turn your life around.

Trade in 2^nd best for God’s best.

With All My Love,
Mrs. Truscott