Easy to start...hard to finish!

2 Corinthians 8:6 "...we urged Titus that just as he had begun earlier, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well."

I remember competing in my first 10K race.  I had trained, I was in decent shape, and I was motivated.  I was also inexperienced.. As the starting gun fired, I found myself caught up in the excitement of the race and I ran my fastest mile ever.  Unfortunately the race is 6.2 miles.  That's when I learned about needing to pace myself.  I totally ran out of gas by mile 3, and was on the verge of quitting.  Then another runner about my speed pulled alongside and we began talking.  The miles went by and I began to hear cheering in the distance.  As we got closer to the finish line, people were shouting words of encouragement and it gave me the energy to muster up a "sprint".  Crossing the finish line, I knew that had it not been for the runner alongside and the cheering crowd, I wouldn't have completed the course.

What does it take to finish the race, to finish strong?  It's like that 10K race. To be successful, I need a clearly-defined goal, a strategy, a coach, and hopefully someone to cheer me on. With those pieces in place, I have a pretty good chance to complete the course.  Each of us finds ourselves, at once, in all of those roles.  We're the athlete in the race, we're the coach/encourager/accountability partner, and we're the cheerleader.  That's what Titus experienced with Paul and the church at Corinth.  That's what God has in mind for us in our church.

Lord, it's easy for me to start quickly, but not so easy to finish the race.  Thank you for giving me a Coach (the Holy Spirit) and cheerleaders (my brothers and sisters in the Lord).  Give me endurance and wisdom to run well and to help others do the same. Amen.