Runnin' on Empty

This last week marked 6 weeks here in Ecuador for us. The children had a one mile "fun" run at school this week for each grade. I call it a "fun" run in quotations because there is nothing fun about running a mile at close to 10,000 feet above sea level. I can say personally that your lungs feel like they are on fire just after a 5 minute jog. Combine that with the dense smog that covers the city on any given day and you can say it is a unique form of torture for a new gringo.

This week we all had a small bout with a stomach bug, so I was especially proud of Connor and Kayleigh for running the race. Kayleigh and her friend Olivia had the two best times for the girls in her 2nd grade class, completing the mile in 9:50. Connor placed 2nd with the boys in 4th grade with a time of 9:03. I am so proud of both of them. It would have been so easy to just give up and say, "Well, I'm not really use to the altitude yet." They both plugged on and not only completed the race, but finished it strong.

During this last week we have been somewhat discouraged by recent news of cutbacks throughout the mission board that have resulted in cuts in our medical benefits, retirement, and salaries due to a sharp decline in giving through the Lottie Moon offering and Cooperative Program. This cut in funding may affect many of us with small children in the ability to stay on the field long term. For us it is like the race is not only being run at a high altitude, but now it is also going up a steep hill. It would be so easy to say, "Well, we're not really ready for this uphill climb, we haven't even gotten use to the altitude yet!" But we are told in Acts 20:24 "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

This is our motivation in times of struggle and trial. In the race there are many obstacles and points when we need encouragement. One of my fellow IMB friends remarked as the children were making their way around the track, "I wonder if they would give up if we were not here cheering them on to continue." I mused on that thinking that those words were probably very true. In the face of hardships without encouragement and hope, is it not easier to just give up? But is it not the prize at the finish that motivates us more than anything? 1Corinthians 9:24 says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

We are a long way from the prize at this point, but we must continually keep it in the horizon. In those days that we receive bad news or discouragement from the obstacles that surround us, we must focus on that prize at the end. I remember the first time I ran a marathon I reached the proverbial "brick wall" at mile 21. I remember in training one of my friends who had run many races told me, "At some point towards the end of the race you will face a "brick wall". You will think that there is no way that you will be able to take another step, much less make it to the finish line. When that happens you will have to remind yourself of your motivation for running in the first place. You must envision that and keep a hold of that to drive you to the end of your race." Wise words. As I reached mile 21 I heard the shouts of my family and friends as they encouraged me to continue the race strong.

We know we have barely begun the race. I can still hear the crack of the starter gun ringing in my ears, but already the uphill climb has begun. Although the prize looms in the distance, we have to pace ourselves for the

distance we must run. With this in mind we cling to what Phil 3:12-14 says, "Not that I have become perfect yet; I have not yet won, but I am still running, trying to capture the prize for which Christ Jesus captured me. I can assure you my brothers, I am far from thinking that I have already won. All I can say is that I forget the past and I strain ahead for what is still to come; I am racing for the finish, for the prize to which God calls us upward to receive in Christ Jesus."