Don't Quit

your Father is coming to help

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:1-17

August 3, 1992; the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain: Derek Redmond finished dead last in the men’s 100-meter sprint. He had one of the worst times ever. He received no medal. Not Gold. Not Silver. Not Bronze. Yet, as Redmond finished the course, the grandstands erupted in applause. Everyone stood to cheer him, not because he was the fastest that day, but because he finished the race.

              You see, shortly after launching himself out of the starting blocks, the runner from Great Britain pulled a hamstring muscle and fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Medical aid workers rushed onto the track to help him. No one would have thought any less of Derek had he been carried off the track and not finished the race. But surprisingly, he refused the medical help, struggled to his feet, and began the painful journey toward the finish line.

              But Redmond didn’t do it alone. His father came out of the crowd, rushed to his side, gave Derek support, and together they made their way down the track. One medic came to them and tried to convince them to stop, but both father and son refused to quit. They crossed the finish line to thundering applause. Derek Redmond was the hero, simply because he finished the race.

              All of us have been hurt at some point in our journey. The pain, at times, can seem unbearable. Most people would have sympathy and wouldn’t blame us if we dropped out of the race and quit on God. The heroes of faith are not necessarily those who run with speed and agility, the ones who cross the line first and fastest. Sometimes the true heroes of faith are the ones who simply finish when everyone else would have given up and quit.

              Watch those people. What you will see, if you have the eyes to see it, is they aren’t finishing the race alone. Their Father has come to their side. He has placed his shoulder under their arm. He is giving them the strength to go on. They will reject all suggestions to give it up. Even those from the well-intentioned. And as they cross the finish line, they will be applauded by “so great a cloud of witnesses.”