After being married for almost 4 years, my wife thinks I have mild Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Out of curiosity, upon checking up on this condition via Wikipedia, ADHD is characterised by occasional symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive. Initially, I did joke that perhaps to wives, all husbands appear to suffer from inattention. However, after some thought, I did find myself agreeing with my wife that I have a low attention span, usually having trouble sitting for long periods of time and feeling uncomfortable when not in motion. As such, I do find comfort doing solo sports such as running, swimming, and cycling. Such activities soothe my urge to move about and enable me to think and reflect on life.
On 19th May 2024 this year (maybe as you read this), I will be taking part in my race for 2024, Ironman 70.3 (a goal that has always been on my bucket list), a triathlon which consists of 3 elements - swim, bike and run. The build up to this race took me 100 days of doing one of the 3 elements on a consistent basis. At the end of each session, I had to reflect on the training process and how I could improve. As such, everyday was the same process of “Train, Reflect, Repeat”.
Our Ultimate Race
As we are pursuing our various worldly goals or “races” in life, there is actually an ultimate race that we all have, a race that has no specific timeline, a race that only ends when we are dead physically in this world. The finishing line will be like no other in this world – Being in heaven with God. Heaven will be filled with peace, joy, and praise. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple, And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” – Revelation 7:15-17.
Fighting a Good Fight
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” – 2 Timothy 4:7-8. This was written by the apostle Paul to Timothy when Paul was nearing death and reflecting on his struggles in preaching the gospel and his victory over those struggles. The crown of righteousness will be awarded to those who have done God’s command at the finishing line.
Being Christ-like
How are we able to fight the good fight and finish the race of our life? Personally, I think it is to be able to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ and to act according to His will. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” – Romans 8: 28.
To be Christ-like involves knowing instructions from God, which is to read the Bible and to follow its commands and integrate them into our daily living. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven” – Matthew 5:16
The 1% Change
For most goals that we are trying to achieve, success doesn’t come overnight. The dream of crossing the finishing line in an ultra endurance race is not miraculously accomplished. It is the result of consistent dedication to training everyday. The goal of losing weight doesn’t just miraculously happen overnight. It is the summation of conscious daily eating habits. And the interesting part is that one does not need to over commit or overwork.
Habits don’t change in a day but 1% a day makes every habit work. The reason is: they work if you do a little (1%) each day and if you find yourself improving on a consistent basis, then a habit works. When 1% compounds everyday, it doubles every 72 days. Compounding tiny moments of excellence is what creates big excellence. If one reads 5 pages of the Bible in 1 day, then that will be 1825 pages of the Bible in a year.
Read, Reflect and Repeat
Knowledge not used is knowledge not gained. Not applying knowledge that has been gained will be easily forgotten and more so if we do not internalise it and apply it to our daily lives. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in the mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” – James 1: 22-25. Like training for any race, one needs to be disciplined and consistent in our training regime. Likewise for the ultimate race of our life, one need to “Read, Reflect and Repeat”.
Ask Yourself:
According to Paul, what would be given to him and all who had finished the race faithfully?
If one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, what does he do?
How should a Christian run his ‘race’ on earth?
Suggested Answers:
A crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8)
He deceives himself (James 1:22)
You may discuss this with the writer or your Bible class teacher.