It is in the race.

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I am a triathlete.  I never thought in a million years I would be saying that.  For the last couple of years my friend Erin has been trying to get me to do a triathlon with him.  I said no over and over again.  I didn’t just say no, I said I would never ever do one.  Then one day it happened, I found myself training for a tri!  What’s that saying again . . . never say never??!!

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Now mind you, I am not a good triathlete, but I did finish my first race the end of April and that means I can finally call myself a triathlete.  I trained for months for this race.  I spent a lot of time in the pool learning to swim free style for the first time.  I put a lot of miles on my bike and running shoes.  I even invested in a few things to help in my training, but even still I wasn’t officially a triathlete.  I had never completed a race, I had never completed the distance of all three events on the same day; I was just a gal who was swimming, biking and running every week.  Then the day came where I had the opportunity to put into practice what I had learned and actually compete in the race.  I was not as ready as I thought I was, I hadn't trained as well as I should of, but I was determined to persevere through each event and not quit. As I reflect back on my training and race day,  I am reminded how the Christian life is not in the training, it is in the race.  We train to run the race.  

Yes, I bought all the stuff I needed to compete in a tri like swim goggles, swim cap, tri suit, a bike odometer, etc, but even still that didn’t make me a triathlete.  I can buy and pursue the things that will make me look and feel like a triathelete, just like I can I can carry my bible with me, attend bible studies, sing songs and pray prayers, but if I don’t put the things I learn into practice and compete in the race, then what the heck am I doing?

So how is competitive training and racing comparable to living the Christian life? What insights can I gain into living the Christian life from my own experience of running and from the Scriptures that develop this image? 

It starts with the training of coarse.  I know I would of not been able to finish that tri had I not trained at all.  I have learned that to be a great runner, swimmer and biker I have to train consistently.   For training to reap its maximum benefit, I must discipline my entire life, not just my time on the track or pool. Hard work is necessary, and that, at times, is painful.  I must be willing to endure hardship! Be willing to put up with pain, knowing what it produces! I also must enjoy the training. As a Christian, I am training not only to achieve a goal, but to become like Christ in the process of living in this world. I am training not only for heaven, but for the rest of my life on earth. And I must learn to be thankful for my trials, to rest in God in the midst of those trials, and, yes, to enjoy the process, to "consider it pure joy" when I am faced with trials.

Now then, when this kind of training occurs, I am prepared to race and in order to race well I need to stay focused and alert. My eyes are to remain fixed on Jesus, looking straight ahead at him, not looking to the world around me, not looking at the problems that face me, not looking at my own past failures or accomplishments, but focusing only on my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  In addition to keeping focus, a good racer must maintain his form throughout the race. As our bodies tire, the natural tendency is to tense up: our shoulders rise, our jaws tighten, we become worried and then get even tighter. And though this is natural, it is quite counterproductive; the tighter we become, the slower we go.  So I need to maintain my form so that I can run the race well and lastly I must simply relax.  I am not called upon to be strong on my own, or to accomplish things for God through my own strength. On the contrary, Jesus tells us "apart from me, you can do nothing."  Instead, I am to rest in him, to relax in him, to allow him to work through me. My job is to focus on him, to turn my thoughts to him, to pray to him, to depend on his word, to put on his armor -- then, and only then, can I succeed in the race of faith. 

One can read everything they need to know about being a triathlete in books or on the internet.  But having the knowledge does not make one a triathlete.  And training does not make one a triathlete if they never compete.  Crossing the finish line makes one a triathlete.  Being a Christian is no different.