A life-changing motivational lesson I learnt from an athletics competition!

(Warning: The Following Message May Change Your Life….forever!)

About ten years ago, I taught at a certain school in Lupane District, Zimbabwe. I was an athletics trainer and the school's sports master. We had an athletics competition in which we were competing against our neighboring schools. One of my athletes was far behind his competitor in a relay event. They had given him the button stick too late when the front runner was several meters away. He saw no hope of catching up with his rival runner from another school who was running in front of him. He made up his mind to settle for number two.

However something dramatic happened. That front runner dropped his button stick a few meters from the finish lane! The children from my school started cheering my athlete on, so that he can run and overtake that front runner and become number one. My athlete did run, yes he did try to really run fast to catch-up. The athlete that had dropped the stick ran back to pick up the button stick before my athlete had caught up with him. My athlete was too close to that competitor by the time he picked the button stick but he still failed to beat him in crossing the finish lane!

 That was a very painful experience for me. So near and yet so far.  So close to victory but still failed to take that first position. What if my athlete had kept on running to the best of his abilities even when there seemed to be no hope? What if my athlete had kept within the striking distance. Eish, friends…..the most painful thing is that my school got position two. That point we missed when my athlete failed to capitalize on the opportunity cost us the trophy. You will fail to capitalize on certain opportunities if you fail to keep within the striking distance.

I don't know how bad and hopeless the situation looks, stay positive and stay prepared. Keep within the striking distance. I don't know how hopeless it seems, stay positive and stay prepared. Keep polishing, refining and updating your CV even though there is no sign of any vacancy (it's called faith).

Keep training, keep on improving your skills, keep practising for the interview, keep hoping and keep running hard; against all hope! Romans 4:18, "Against all hope, in hope he believed…." One way or the other, the button stick always falls in the opposition's camp.  Keep within the striking distance, you may never know when God will suddenly shift things in your favor. And believe me they will shift! Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5)