CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
Finishing Strong
Mark Drabenstott
Last weekend I attended my 50th High School reunion. Everyone was talking about their plans in retirement—or all the things they had already done in their retirement. Spending time with family was a common theme, but I found that a broader sense of purpose was missing from many of the conversations I had. Most people were talking about taking life easy—or just living the good life.
I’ve been thinking a lot about purpose because I retired earlier this year from my 40-plus year career as an economist. After all those years of work, I admit there is quite a bit of downshifting that happens. You just don’t make the adjustment overnight—and I’m still not sure what gear I’m in!
There was a clear sense among my classmates that we are entering the autumn of our lives (underscored by the recitation of names of fellow classmates who have died). The Creator surely designed the four seasons to remind us of the passage of time. Indeed, that is the early message of Genesis referring to the lights in the heavans: “Let them be for signs and for seasons, for days and years” (Ge. 1:14). Ironically, the first event of my reunion coincided with the first day of autumn.
Autumn reminds us that the life cycle is nearing its end. Days grow shorter as nights lengthen. The sun still shines brightly, but at a diminished angle. Birds sense all of this and begin flying south to follow the sun. Trees lose their leaves. Plants grow more slowly and then succumb to the harsh advance of frost and winter.
Still, the fall sky beckons our eyes upward. The sky always seems bluest in autumn. And perhaps that, too, is by design. The crisp blue sky gives us one more reminder that God is always there, no matter the season. Maybe it is one last calling to see His hand at work in us, in every season.
Is there retirement for those who follow Jesus? Do we just lay down our Master’s carpentry tools and settle into a rocking chair? One of my classmates expressed this hope for our class: That we finish strong. Finishing strong is exactly what our Lord expects of us.
Run to Win
The Apostle Paul must have been an admirer of athletic competition. In several of his letters he compares our life in Christ to running a race. There’s no better example of this than the summation to Hebrews 11, what we often call the ‘Faith Chapter.’ (Whether Paul wrote this, or the author borrowed the analogy from Paul, I leave to you.)
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV).
That’s what we’re meant to take away from all those incredible lives mentioned in the previous chapter—lift up your weary hands and hearts and run! Paul expresses the same idea in the letter to the Corinthians. To provide a fresh hearing, here is The Message version:
You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
God wants us to run to win—not for a gold medal, but for a place in His eternal kingdom. He wants us to run hard to the finish line. The stakes are simply too spectacular to do anything less.
Running Together
Of course, we don’t run this race alone. We run together. Above all, we run with our Lord at our side. Through His son, God called us for a purpose. God never leaves work unfinished. He completes it. And that includes the work He’s doing in us.
God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns (Phil. 1:6 The Living Bible).
No matter where we find ourselves on our faith journey, God wants us to run strong. And if you are in the autumn of life, there is no better time than to focus on finishing strong.
Here at WCF, we have many ways you can use your talents to run your race with spirit—or encourage your fellow runners. One of these is helping the growing number of refugees on the move around the world, many running for their lives. Another is the ongoing work we’re doing to touch lives and share the Gospel message through our White Fields initiative. I invite you to consider these and other ways to run strong—and finish strong. We’re running beside you.