There are only two horses on the racetrack. Both of them have the same chance of winning. The loser will only be second which would not be bad as second place is almost first. First would be good, but also not that great because it would only be one of only two places.
Consequently, because losing would only be second place, they strolled along the track, nibbling here and there on the grass at the side, or rolling in the sand on the track. The only time they put some effort into it, was when they realised they were very close to the end. One came first and one second.
There are billions of Christians, everyone on his race towards the end. Some are putting in all the effort whilst others take life as the two horses do, a casual stroll in the park.
Interestingly, we are not in a competition, although many believe we are. We are not even on the same track. Some of us have short tracks and others’ are quite extended.
Fortunately, God did not put us in a race to compete with each other. Everyone is running his own race. Every Christian who reaches his end of life on earth will be a winner and each will receive a reward according to the life that he lead (1 Cor 3:8).
Unfortunately, some of us landed on the wrong racetrack, only to discover our main competitors are rats, leaving us with bad rewards ( 1 Cor 9:25). I am sure our reward will not look like the salt grinders of the recent Brit Awards.
At my age, one suddenly discovers that there is not much track left. Moreover, I suddenly realise that it feels as though the race has hardly begun. For the first time one begins to ask, what have I done with my life and what would my reward look like compared to others?
One thing is certain, God will never compare our achievements with those of other Christians. Christian life is not about competing with fellow members in a so-called race referred to as life, but about the way we display our gratitude to and love for God and the way we support our fellow runners.
The essence of winning is not to reach the end very fast; otherwise, we would have been dead by now. The essence is the quality of life we live.
The best race is run in the understanding, and realisation of the complete awesomeness of God, how completely different He is from us but that He desires to have us with Him anyhow, regardless of our failures, that is, if we have allowed Jesus to be our Saviour (2 Tim 4:8)!
I can’t help thinking about running our race like the 2 horses do. To work hard and do our jobs the best we can while strolling along, nibbling on grass at the side of the track, rolling around and really enjoying the privilege of being alive!