Recently, I received two comments on my blog in Polish. I asked Google for an English translation for each. The first one was a very positive comment about my blog. The second one, from a different person, was a quote from Sir Winston Churchill which read, “Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” That comment was made in reference to my post on excellence and it reminded me that in addition to our willingness to accept more risk than others; to love more than others; to dream more than others; and to expect more than others; we must also be willing to keep going when others would give up.
It saddens me to think about all of the people who have given up without realizing how close they were to reaching their goal. My grandmother gave me some wise advice that has served me well throughout my life. She said, “Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when your task is complete.” I have to smile as I write that quote, because with my physical limitations these days, if I stopped when I was tired, I wouldn’t make it from my living room to my kitchen. She also taught me the difference between stopping and pausing. We can’t work 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We must eat to refuel our body, spend time with the Lord to refuel our spirit and rest to renew our strength. Then, we can pick up the task with renewed vigor right where we left off and complete it.
As Christians, every task we take on is to be done as a representative of the Lord. (Colossians 3:17) Jesus takes it even farther when He teaches us that every kind act we do for others, we are actually doing it for Him. (Matthew 25:31-40) So whether our task is an assignment from our employer; an obligation to a parent, spouse or child; a service for the community; sharing the good news of the Gospel; encouraging a Christian brother or sister; or simply obedience to the prompting from the Holy Spirit; every task that we complete is for the glory and honor of God.
The Apostle Paul compares the Christian life to an endurance race. After listing all of the people in the faith hall of fame in Hebrews 11, he begins chapter 12, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless” and “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 2:16 and 3:14)
I pray that as you and I approach the end of our life here, we will be able to say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race and I have remained faithful.” (2 Timothy 4:7)