Have you ever run in a road race and the finish line is just up ahead? Doesn’t it seem like an eternity away?
Boise hosts a handful of road races for kids. Our kids love these events and make sure we sign them up every year. Their favorite is a 1-mile race held near the end of school. There are over 1,000 kids that participate in this spirited event.
Last year Mark and I placed ourselves a few hundred yards before the finish line. Usually the race runs one gender at a time and divides the kids into age groups – with the older kids going first in order to prevent overly ambitious14-year-olds from running over an absent-minded 6-year-old.
It was near the end of the boys run and Mark had taken off to find our son Noah who had already crossed the finish. I remained in our spot, awaiting the start of the girls. As I looked down the road I saw a little boy who had yet to finish. He was now walking. His face was red and his eyes were full of tears. He was coming in last place.
His father saw him and quickly ran out to the street to join him and finish the race with him. He encouraged his son; trying to get him to run again but the little boy wanted none of it. He squealed at his dad – he was embarrassed and didn’t want to run.
All the other parents on the sideline saw what was going on. As the boy approached us, the mom next to me began cheering, “Keep going! You’re about to finish 1 mile!”
The rest of us joined in with her and the cheering the began to spread down the line. The little boy looked to the crowd, realizing that we were all cheering for him. The defeated look on his face turned into determination and he sprinted to the finished and ended his race strong.
It’s amazing how our outlook can change when we have the encouragement of others. Our mountains become mole hills and what once seemed impossible becomes possible.
We are all going to have times when the finish line is like a mirage in the desert and want to give up. But – if we surround ourselves with positive people who will sincerely cheer us on to finish the race that God has set before us – we’ll finished determined, not defeated.
There is a time to run and there is a time to cheer. It’s tempting to hog the spotlight but we need to be sure that we’re also spectators for others as they accomplish their goals. I’m not speaking of flattery but authentic words of encouragement.
The road can be rough and we’re not meant to go it alone.
Cheers my friends!
Has there been a time when the encouraging words of others helped you through a rough patch?
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