The Race is to...

When I was a senior in high school I had the privilege of going on a mission trip to help with construction on a Navajo Reservation near Farmington, New Mexico.  So on the way there our principal organized an excursion to Pike's Peak so we could take in the beauty of the Rockies.  The plan was simple.  Since the road takes you all the way to the top we would drive all the way to the top and soon return to our journey.  Unfortunately Mother Nature was not willing to cooperate.  Although it was still late summer/early fall there were snow banks on either side of the road well over 15 ft high.  So after driving fairly close to the top the road was eventually cut off by the drifted snow.  From there we would have to go on by foot.

What would transpire on our trek to the top was something that I would never forget.  We all set out with the intention of getting to the top first.  Richard, the fastest student in the school was with us and gave it his best effort but fell back quickly, mostly from the distraction of the young lady who he eventually would marry.  Don, his second place challenger in the 100 yd dash, was however a leading contender throughout the afternoon.  Todd, the winner of the 1 mile race at the school picnic, seemed to be getting along well too but never was able to adjust to the altitude.  Scott was somewhat outdoorsy and perhaps posed some threat but the last guy in our group, the other Richard, seemed of little consequence.  I, however, was sure I would get there first.  I had taken third place behind Todd and thought that maybe a good combination of speed and endurance might help me be victorious.

So as the afternoon went on I set myself to making it to the top taking calculated rest stops and watching the progress of the others.  Richard and Don seemed to have good bursts of energy but were constantly stopping.  Todd and Scott went along at there own pace.  I tried to maintain a constant pace but the person who seemed to be at the head of the pack every time I stopped to look around was the other Richard.  At every break he just passed me by.  How could that be?  He was tireless.  In fact, the higher we went the more difficult it seemed to keep up with him.  Eventually all the guys seemed to run out of gas and I was not far from calling it quits myself.  So as I sat down to take in the view below I looked up to see who had bested us all and there was the winner, plodding along.  It was the other Richard and his untiring pace.  Slowly but steadily he had outlasted us all.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 says: "I returned and saw under the sun that—

The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all."

One never knows how things will turn out in real life.  You may think you know what to expect but you never do.  There are people like the second Richard who unexpectedly come in first and there seems to be little explanation.  Frankly, some people have more heart than others give them credit.

The Bible is clear.  No one knows who will win and circumstances are always unpredictable.  Place your life and your trust in Jesus Christ and the importance of winning mere foot races will find it's natural order in a life arranged by meaningful priorities.