Glory is forever

It's fair to say, I'm not really what you might call a 'morning person.'  I'd like to think that I am pleasant and fun, and full of light hearted jocosity most anytime of the day, but now, just 3 months into marriage, my wife (Ginny) is quick to assure me that is simply not the case - I guess morning's not my thing!  I do wish I would have remembered that key information when my friend called a few weeks ago to suggest we run the Two Oceans half marathon, the largest road race in Cape Town that happens every year on the Saturday prior to Easter.

As we departed from our house last Saturday at 4am, Ginny asks me, "Are you excited for the race?"  At 4am I would have been excited to go back to bed for 3-4 more hours, but I couldn't say the same at the thought of running 21k (13.1miles) in the dark.  Needless to say, we arrived at the race start just as most of the other 23,000 runners did.  

23,000 is a lot of runners. I think I heard the gun shot to begin the race around 6am, but no one was moving.  A few minutes later the pack began to slowly inch forward.  7 minutes later I had crossed the start line - my race had begun.  It was still dark outside.  There were still 23,000 other people people trying to move in the same direction along the same narrow streets as I was.  I saw one man dressed as a cow.  Perhaps he was an Easter cow?  Somewhere along the road 3 men dressed like Tina Turner sauntered past me as well.  

About 10k into the race I was feeling pretty good about myself.  Sure, the Easter cow and 3 Tina's had all left me in the dust miles back, but I was still holding off the 20'something running in a Borat mankini (should you have been spared knowledge of the 'mankini' to this point, rejoice in your ignorance and resist all temptation to educate yourself).  I think it was just around that time I devised my plan to begin overtaking the vast pack of runners in front of me.  I told my friend I'd set the pace for awhile and we began fearlessly running past all those around us.  The plan was working.  I could see the indignation smattered across the faces of those we passed.  For a fleeting moment I had thoughts of grandure.  I wasn't thinking we could win, but I started thinking we could at least earn some sort of recognition.  That thought lasted about 45 seconds as kilometer 10 ended with a steep uphill climb - a climb that ultimately covered 8k.

I spent the rest of the race just trying to 'make it' to the end.  I wasn't particularly concerned about my time, winning a prize or where I placed in relation to everyone else . . . I just wanted to finish.  I kept thinking that wasn't how it wasn't meant to be.  Surely there had to be more to the race than a hope to simply finish.  

When I finally reached the top of the mountain there was still 3k to go.  The mankini had now long since past me and I was feeling defeated.  That's when I saw this sign posted on the side of the road:

For the final 3k this sign seemed to appear everywhere.  "Pain is temporary glory is forever."  I assume Old Mutual, one of the main sponsors of the race created those signs to encourage the participants to persevere to the finish.  They knew the runners would be tired and weary by that stage of the race and so they provided encouraging words.  It's amazing, but as I read that sign over and over the final 3k, I was encouraged.  It wasn't because I thought I could win the race, or because of what others might think of my accomplishment that day, but because I had a new found enthusiasm to finish well.  

After 1:52 I finished the race. I didn't win a prize.  It wasn't a particularly impressive time.  Yet, I ran my race as best I could.  I finished well.  

For the past week I've been thinking about that sign . . . Glory is Forever.  

The writer of Hebrews encourages us in a similar way to run the race of life, he said, "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever."

Jesus had a firm understanding that the trials of this life, the things that seem to hinder, detour and often hold us back along the way, these things are temporary, but glory is forever.  The writer of Hebrews finishes his thought by saying, "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  

As I was finishing my race last Saturday I was encouraged by the reminder that the pain I was enduring was temporary.  I want to remember that as I continue to run this life race that we all find ourselves within - Glory is forever.

- SDG