In 1952, Florence Chadwick dove into the water at Catalina Island, with the goal of swimming to the shore of mainland California. She was already an accomplished swimmer, being the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways.[1] The weather that morning was cold and foggy, and she could barely see the boats that would guide her. She swam for fifteen hours. As mental and physical exhaustion set in, she begged to be taken out. Her trainer urged her on; telling her over and over she could make it, assuring her the shore was not far away. Finally, she just stopped swimming and was pulled out of the water. When she got in the boat, she saw the shore was merely a half-mile away.
At a news conference the following day, what she said in essence, was this: “I do not want to make excuses for myself. I am the one who asked to be pulled out. But I think that if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.” Two months later, on a clear and sunny day, she made her point and swam the distance.
People who accomplish extraordinary feats know it’s important to approach each day with intentionality and keep their eyes fixed on the end goal. Without the end in mind, we are prone to give up or lose interest when things are hard. Many of us understand this concept as it pertains to secular pursuits, but what about matters of faith? At the end of your life, what do you want your relationship with Christ to look like? What do you want your faith walk to have been?
In Scripture, the apostle Paul often used athletic metaphors to describe the Christian life. Paul spoke of:
- Running the race (Phil. 2:16, Gal. 2:2).
- Fighting the good fight and finishing the race (2 Tim. 4:7).
- Running well (Gal. 5:7).
- Competing according to the rules (2 Tim. 2:5).
- An athlete who exercises self-control and doesn’t run aimlessly (1 Cor. 9:25)
- A runner who receives the prize (1 Cor. 9:24-26).
These metaphors all point to an end goal. Paul lived more vivaciously than anyone I can think of, but he intentionally lived each day with the end of his life in mind. A lot of people consider it morose to think about the end of their life. But Paul knew that his time on earth was limited and a day would come when he would give an account of what he had done with the salvation God had granted him in Christ (1 Cor. 3:13-15).
Clearly, salvation is secured by grace through faith in Christ. (Eph. 2:8-9). Therefore, our accounting of our time on earth will not be to make a case for our salvation. Our salvation is secured in Christ alone. However, it’s an assumption that our salvation will produce good works, which God prepared for us to do (Eph. 2:10).
At the end our lives we all want to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”
But faithful living doesn’t happen by accident. We must continually ask ourselves, “What does being a devoted Christ follower look like in this season of life?” And then, we will be wise to continually pray for the grace and strength to fulfill our calling. As we abide in Christ, we are empowered to live purposeful lives. The Scriptures make it clear we can do nothing apart from Him (John 15:5).
I’ll leave you with a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
[1] D.A. Carson, Praying Like Paul, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 43).
