I think many of us can sympathize with what happened to Mat Wheelhouse.
This past Sunday morning in Manchester, England, Mat completed his first full marathon. He completed it in 4 hours and 47 minutes. Not bad! The global average time for a full marathon is around 4 hours 21 minutes. What makes Mat’s time even more impressive is that he didn’t realize he’d signed up for the full marathon (26.2 miles) until he was at the starting gate.
You see, there were two races that morning — a half-marathon and a full marathon. Mat had signed up for the half-marathon (13.1 miles) and had been training to run that race for some time. He had run some 5k races (3.1 miles) and a 10k (6.2 miles) and after training hard felt he was ready to tackle the half-marathon. So he signed up for the Manchester City Half-Marathon held this past weekend.
Once he was at the starting gate, however, he began to notice that the other runners had a different sticker on their tops. They also had backpacks filled with drinks and snacks. When he went to the information desk, he realized his mistake: he’d gotten the times mixed up. The half-marathon was earlier that morning and had just ended. He said, “I was so embarrassed! Lots of people had sponsored me and I had let them down.” The person at the information desk encouraged Mat to continue with the race and reminded him that he could just quit when he got to the hallway point. Which seemed reasonable. So he decided to give it a go.
And go he did!
Mat ran the entire marathon and came across the finish line with a very respectable time. He said the worst part of it was when his Air Pods ran out of juice halfway through and he had to finish the race with no music. Mat also noted, “The last five miles were incredibly hard but I pressed on because I wanted to make sure I got the medal. I thought, ‘If I don’t finish, I won’t get it’ and that thought carried me through to the end.”
I think there are many Christians who can sympathize with what happened to Mat last weekend. When they signed up for the Christian race, they never thought it would be this hard. They didn’t understand that what they were signing up for was a spiritual “marathon”. At the outset, it looked more like a sprint or a relay race. They never imagined it would require such endurance and determination.
The Writer of Hebrews wrote to some Christians in the first century who were struggling with this very thing. Listen to the advice he gave them in Hebrews 12:1-3 —
“{1} Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, {2} looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. {3} Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
Many of the Christians to whom he wrote had grown weary and were wanting to quit the race. They never realized that it would be as hard or last this long. His advice to them was simple: “Don’t quit. Look to Jesus. Find strength in Him.”
Maybe that’s a message we need to hear.
Have you grown weary?
Do you feel this race is more than you signed up for?
Have you lost hope of ever finishing the race?
Take his advice: Don’t quit! Look to Jesus! Draw strength from Him!
Do this so that, as the Writer of Hebrews says, “you will not grow weary or fainthearted”.
Mat Wheelhouse didn’t sign up for the full marathon, but that’s the race he found himself running. He then determined to finish the race and receive the prize. Which he did! And that’s my hope and prayer for us all (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7-8).