Running Your Race
Running Your Race: The Call to Maximum Living
The winter morning was bleak—wet snow turning to slush, wind howling with vengeance, the kind of day that makes you want to pull the covers over your head and surrender to despair. Yet through the gloom, a twelve-year-old boy skipped down the cobblestone street, clutching an old cello, his face radiating anticipation. His name was Pablo Casals, and his early morning practice sessions would eventually transform him into one of the greatest cellists the world has ever known.
Decades later, at age 85, after a lifetime of extraordinary achievement and worldwide acclaim, someone asked Casals why he still practiced five hours every day. His response cuts to the heart of what it means to truly live: "Because I think I'm getting better."
The Danger of Settling
In our Western culture, we've embraced a concept of life that celebrates early retirement and comfortable mediocrity. We've created an accepted standard of "success" that often means doing just enough to get by, punching the clock, collecting a paycheck, and coasting toward the finish line. But this mindset stands in stark opposition to the biblical call on our lives.
The Apostle Paul wrote with brutal honesty about his journey: "In labors more abundant, stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, and deaths often. From the Jews, five times I received 40 stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I've been in the deep" (2 Corinthians 11:23-25).
The list goes on—perils from robbers, perils from his own countrymen, perils in the wilderness, hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness. And yet, after recounting this litany of suffering, Paul's primary concern wasn't his past accomplishments or his present comfort. His "deep concern" was for all the churches—for the work that still needed to be done.
Maximum vs. Mediocrity
We face a fundamental choice in how we approach life: maximum or mediocrity. Maximum means pursuing the supreme, the greatest, the highest, the ultimate—reaching for the pinnacle, the apex, the peak. It means extending ourselves to the limit of our abilities for God's glory.
Mediocrity, on the other hand, is living below our known true potential. It's accepting the norm, the status quo, just getting by. It's punching the clock and doing as little as possible while still collecting a paycheck.
The question we must ask ourselves is this: Are we maximizing the abilities God has given us, or are we settling for something less?
Consider Abraham, who took on a dream at 70 and didn't realize it until he was 100. Think of Moses, who transitioned from shepherding sheep to leading a nation at 120 years old. Or Colonel Sanders, who collected his first Social Security check of $105 in 1952 and used it to launch what would become Kentucky Fried Chicken—but only after being rejected over 1,000 times.
Quitting is not in the vocabulary of world changers.
The Power of Perspective
Two shoe salesmen were sent to Africa in the early 1900s to scout potential markets. After a day or two of research, the first salesman telegraphed his company: "No opportunities. Research is complete. Situation is hopeless. Stop. No one wears shoes here."
The second salesman, surveying the same landscape, sent a very different message: "Research complete. Stop. Incredible opportunity. No one wears shoes here."
Same situation. Completely different perspectives. One saw impossibility; the other saw unlimited potential.
Our capacity is not limited by the opinions of others or by our previous experiences. As Scripture reminds us: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
Facing the Adversaries
Paul acknowledged a profound truth: "For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Corinthians 16:9). Opportunity and opposition go hand in hand. If you're doing something significant, someone will oppose you. The presence of adversaries doesn't mean you're on the wrong path—it often confirms you're on exactly the right one.
Our capacity is never limited by the difficulties we face. In fact, those very difficulties are working for our good. Romans 8:28 assures us: "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."
The challenges aren't good in themselves—they come from the enemy. But God intends to work something good out of everything thrown at us. Our true potential is directly linked to how we handle adversity. If we allow difficulties to frustrate, intimidate, or discourage us, we'll never overcome them.
The Team You're On
Consider this: On any given Super Bowl Sunday, over 150 million people will watch 96 players compete for a championship. Millions upon millions of observers will project their desire for greatness onto two teams of 48 players each. They'll cheer, shout, and live vicariously through the achievements of these athletes.
But here's the transformative question: Are you an observer or a participant?
God hasn't called us to be among the millions watching from the sidelines. He's called us to be on the team—not one of the million observers, but an active member giving everything to be a winner in the kingdom of God.
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it" (1 Corinthians 9:24).
The Practice of Greatness
Like Pablo Casals practicing five hours a day at 85, believing he was still getting better, we're called to continuous growth. True success isn't a project—it's a journey. It's a never-ending educational adventure of discovery and exploration into our God-given potential for His glory.
Consider these reflections:
From glory to glory, He's changing us. May we embrace that transformation and run in such a way that we obtain the prize.
The winter morning was bleak—wet snow turning to slush, wind howling with vengeance, the kind of day that makes you want to pull the covers over your head and surrender to despair. Yet through the gloom, a twelve-year-old boy skipped down the cobblestone street, clutching an old cello, his face radiating anticipation. His name was Pablo Casals, and his early morning practice sessions would eventually transform him into one of the greatest cellists the world has ever known.
Decades later, at age 85, after a lifetime of extraordinary achievement and worldwide acclaim, someone asked Casals why he still practiced five hours every day. His response cuts to the heart of what it means to truly live: "Because I think I'm getting better."
The Danger of Settling
In our Western culture, we've embraced a concept of life that celebrates early retirement and comfortable mediocrity. We've created an accepted standard of "success" that often means doing just enough to get by, punching the clock, collecting a paycheck, and coasting toward the finish line. But this mindset stands in stark opposition to the biblical call on our lives.
The Apostle Paul wrote with brutal honesty about his journey: "In labors more abundant, stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, and deaths often. From the Jews, five times I received 40 stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I've been in the deep" (2 Corinthians 11:23-25).
The list goes on—perils from robbers, perils from his own countrymen, perils in the wilderness, hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness. And yet, after recounting this litany of suffering, Paul's primary concern wasn't his past accomplishments or his present comfort. His "deep concern" was for all the churches—for the work that still needed to be done.
Maximum vs. Mediocrity
We face a fundamental choice in how we approach life: maximum or mediocrity. Maximum means pursuing the supreme, the greatest, the highest, the ultimate—reaching for the pinnacle, the apex, the peak. It means extending ourselves to the limit of our abilities for God's glory.
Mediocrity, on the other hand, is living below our known true potential. It's accepting the norm, the status quo, just getting by. It's punching the clock and doing as little as possible while still collecting a paycheck.
The question we must ask ourselves is this: Are we maximizing the abilities God has given us, or are we settling for something less?
Consider Abraham, who took on a dream at 70 and didn't realize it until he was 100. Think of Moses, who transitioned from shepherding sheep to leading a nation at 120 years old. Or Colonel Sanders, who collected his first Social Security check of $105 in 1952 and used it to launch what would become Kentucky Fried Chicken—but only after being rejected over 1,000 times.
Quitting is not in the vocabulary of world changers.
The Power of Perspective
Two shoe salesmen were sent to Africa in the early 1900s to scout potential markets. After a day or two of research, the first salesman telegraphed his company: "No opportunities. Research is complete. Situation is hopeless. Stop. No one wears shoes here."
The second salesman, surveying the same landscape, sent a very different message: "Research complete. Stop. Incredible opportunity. No one wears shoes here."
Same situation. Completely different perspectives. One saw impossibility; the other saw unlimited potential.
Our capacity is not limited by the opinions of others or by our previous experiences. As Scripture reminds us: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
Facing the Adversaries
Paul acknowledged a profound truth: "For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Corinthians 16:9). Opportunity and opposition go hand in hand. If you're doing something significant, someone will oppose you. The presence of adversaries doesn't mean you're on the wrong path—it often confirms you're on exactly the right one.
Our capacity is never limited by the difficulties we face. In fact, those very difficulties are working for our good. Romans 8:28 assures us: "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."
The challenges aren't good in themselves—they come from the enemy. But God intends to work something good out of everything thrown at us. Our true potential is directly linked to how we handle adversity. If we allow difficulties to frustrate, intimidate, or discourage us, we'll never overcome them.
The Team You're On
Consider this: On any given Super Bowl Sunday, over 150 million people will watch 96 players compete for a championship. Millions upon millions of observers will project their desire for greatness onto two teams of 48 players each. They'll cheer, shout, and live vicariously through the achievements of these athletes.
But here's the transformative question: Are you an observer or a participant?
God hasn't called us to be among the millions watching from the sidelines. He's called us to be on the team—not one of the million observers, but an active member giving everything to be a winner in the kingdom of God.
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it" (1 Corinthians 9:24).
The Practice of Greatness
Like Pablo Casals practicing five hours a day at 85, believing he was still getting better, we're called to continuous growth. True success isn't a project—it's a journey. It's a never-ending educational adventure of discovery and exploration into our God-given potential for His glory.
Consider these reflections:
- Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you opportunity to learn
- Be thankful for difficult times; those are the times you grow
- Be thankful for your limitations; they give you opportunities for improvement
- Be thankful for each new challenge; it strengthens and builds character
- Be thankful for your mistakes; they teach valuable lessons
- Be thankful when you're tired and weary; it means you made a difference
From glory to glory, He's changing us. May we embrace that transformation and run in such a way that we obtain the prize.
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