"Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe." Acts 14:19, 20
"I'll be back." These were the words spoken by 72-year-old Wally Hesseltine upon collapsing onto a gurney in the med tent after completing the Western States 100 mile endurance run in 30:01:56. This iconic and grueling race which starts at the base of Squaw Valley requires runners to climb more than 18,000 feet before ending in Auburn, California. With a time limit of thirty hours though, Wally's finish wasn't actually counted as a finish. He was issued a DNF (did not finish) after falling 200 meters from the finish line leaving no chance to cross within the allotted time. But I have no doubt, as Wally said, that he will be back-and this time, achieve his goal of being the oldest runner to ever complete this race.
When it comes to completing a goal, Paul had that same tenacity, that same spirit of not letting anything stop him. You see, on Paul's first missionary journey, the Bible tells us that he and Barnabas were preaching to the crowd at Lystra when some Jews from Antioch and Iconium (the city they had just fled after hearing of the plot of the people to stone them) tracked them down and incited a riot that resulted in Paul being stoned, thrown out of the city and left for dead. But I love what happened next..."he got up and went back into the city." Wow! Talk about being determined to finish what you started. There would be no DNF for Paul that day.
And while most of us will never attempt to run 100 miles, we all have battles equally as hard. And what we do in the face of them is what determines our success. Do we give up when it gets hard or we don't succeed the first time? May we remember that a winner is not just someone who crosses a finish line, a winner is that person who never quits trying.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the examples you have given us of what it means to never give up. Lord, what you have called us to may not always be easy but you have promised to equip us for the job giving us the strength to persevere. May we continue to rise each time we get knocked down knowing you will provide the power to do so. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
Third Day - Victory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32MRZvC_eqY
This 12 minute video titled "Thirty Hours" is the just released documentary of Wally's quest for the finish line and is absolutely inspirational. * https://vimeo.com/181118448
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