At church today I heard a story about the great Olympian, John Stephen Akhwari. In 1968, Akhwari represented Tanzania as a marathon runner during the summer Olympics in Mexico. During his race he fell, cutting his knee and displacing the joint. Despite the pain, he continued running. Hours later, he finished the race. When asked why he was so determined to finish the marathon, Akhwari replied "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race."
Again, in 1992, an Olympic runner, Derek Redmond, fell and injured himself during his race. Just like Akhwari, he was determined to finish strong--with the help of his father. Watch the inspiring video below.
God didn't send us here to start a race. Just like Jesus, believers have a purpose to fulfill while we're alive. And just like Jesus, we need to finish and fulfill our calling. God's doesn't expect us to run alone. He'll carry us, but we have to keep running...
Brought me to tears. Thank you for this moving reminder of what our Lord and Savior does for us every day.
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