And The Race Is On!

Many of you may not know that my mother is a great sport fan, especially horse races, car races, and Alabama Football. Nearly every weekend there is a horse race for her to enjoy. A couple of weeks ago we tuned in for such an event. As the horses were being led into their start boxes, the commentators were filling us in with all the statistics. Just before the start my mother makes her winning prediction. “I choose, The Great White Shark,” she says. I asked why she was choosing that one. “Because it’s a nice light grey color,” she replied in quiet confidence, as if that explanation made as much sense as the statistics. Well, as it turns out, it did make as much sense because The Great White Shark won the race. I confess we do bet. The wager? A cup of tea. I duly went to the kitchen to pay my debt.

As fun as watching that horse race or the joy we shared in watching the Alabama-Georgia Football game last weekend, nothing is a sure thing. There are wins and losses in every sports event. Thinking of “the sure thing” got my brain to spinning with thoughts of what takes place in our spiritual worlds. Is there a sure thing? Most of you will know the answer to that to be a resounding, “Yes!”

Every human is born with desire — desire to succeed, desire to love and be loved, desire to be financially secure, desire to be liked by our peers, desire to be respected in what we do well. Sometimes all of the above desires come to us; sometimes they do not. Sometimes we fail in what we attempt to do. Sometimes we love and that love is rejected. Sometimes we struggle to pay our bills, sometimes our peers don’t like us, sometimes our best efforts are not met by any respect at all.

None of the above is a sure thing. Even so, when we choose to put ourselves on God’s path, then something far greater is ours. We are secure in His eternal love for us, secure in His peace in the midst of life’s troubles, secure in His joy when we do well as His Holy Spirit within us urges us on to run our race, “forgetting those things which are behind and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:13

The things of this earth, like a horse race, brings times of winning and times of losing, but on God’s path we are always on a winning streak no matter any of life’s chaos around us. The passage in Psalm 119:89-93 explains. “Your eternal Word, Oh Lord, stands firm in heaven. Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth You created. Your regulations remain true to this day, for everything serves Your plans. If Your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery. I will never forget Your commandments, for by them You give me life.”

Did you take note of the “sure things” in that passage? His Word stands firm. His faithfulness extends to us all. His regulations are true everyday. His instructions sustain us. His commandments give us life. Wow! Aren’t those “sure thing” promises enough to get us daily into His Word? His Word guides us, comforts us, assures us. So, let us not concentrate on life’s troubles. Instead, see them in the rearview mirror as we “look forward to what lies ahead.” And the race is on!