Encouragement on the Run

During the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, two runners in the women’s 5,000-meter race were into their final four laps when they collided. Nikki Hamblin from New Zealand fell first, causing Abbey D’Agostino from the United States also to fall. It would have been understandable if D’Agostino got up and went around Hamblin and finished the race. But this is what was amazing. D’Agostino reached down and helped Hamblin get up. Then, for a time, they began to run together. And when the injured D’Agostino fell to the ground, Hamblin stopped to help her. Both made it across the finish line. Although they didn’t win the race, they finished the race.

Afterward, Hamblin said, “Suddenly there’s this hand on my shoulder, like, ‘Get up, get up! We have to finish this!’” Hamblin went on to say, “I’m never going to forget that moment. When someone asks me what happened in Rio in 20 years’ time, that’s my story.”

Sometimes we stumble and fall. And sometimes we need a little help. Galatians 6:1 says, “Dear brothers and sisters if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (NLT). Instead of kicking a person when they’re down, help them get up again so they, too, can finish the race.

Maybe you started off in the Christian life with a bang. You were off the blocks and running your race, but then you stumbled and fell. You can get up and still finish the race. Make your life count. Look for opportunities to honor the Lord. I have found that those who think the most of the next world do the most for this one.