Press On

 

I know this is hard for you to believe, but this seventy-four-year-old man used to run cross country in college.  In 1969 I worked third shift at Standard Coosa Thatcher thread mill.  I got off work at 6 AM, ran 3 miles, and then went to breakfast at 7 AM.  Then to classes at 8 AM until 1 PM.  Then I ran 5 miles until supper, and then crashed until 10 PM and work again.  I did it then, but I couldn’t do it now.  Now, my running is limited to running to the dining room table.  In 1969, I ran in a race at Bryan College.  I got off work at 6 AM and hitchhiked from Chattanooga to Dayton, Tennessee.  But by the time that I got to Dayton, the race had already started.  So, the officials noted the time and let me start late.  The race was from Dayton to Spring City, a distance of 17 miles.  A few miles into the race, I became so tired that I almost gave up.  But about the same time, I caught up and passed two runners who were in last place.  So I kept pressing on.  Towards the end, I had to force myself to take each step.  I finished the race in 3 hours 10 minutes.  Hey, the Christian life is just like that race.  This life isn’t a sprint, it’s a long-distance run that takes determination each step of the way.  Paul said in Philippians 3:13&14, “… forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  We should stay focused on Jesus and press on.  Don’t give up, press on.  Don’t let discouragement slow you down, press on.  Whatever comes your way, press on.