FINISHING THE RACE

 

2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

               At 12:12 AM on Wednesday, August 14 my dad finished his race on this earth. He had not run a perfect race, but he fought the good fight and he kept the faith. As I reflect upon my dad’s 96-year journey there are some lessons that I have learned from the way he ran the race.

               At the top of the list has to be faithfulness. Dad demonstrated faithfulness in every aspect of his life. He was faithful to my mom right up to the end. It is hard to think of them apart. They were always a team. During the last few years of my mom’s life, dad was more than her constant companion. He was her support, encouragement, and even her hands and feet. One of mom’s passions was baking cookies. Because of her failing eyesight, dad had to take on the role of making the cookies as mom supervised.

               Growing up, dad was faithful in supporting us in whatever we did. He made it a point to attend our athletic and musical events. He invested in us in informal ways like taking the time to hit fly balls for us in the backyard after work. He invested in more formal ways by leading our Christian Service Brigade at church. Dad supported us but never pushed us. He allowed us to make our own decisions about the direction we would take in life.

               Dad was faithful to his Lord and his church. He served as an elder at his church for more than 50 years. He was the song leader every Sunday for most of that time. Through all of the ups and downs he stayed faithful to his church.

               That leads me to another lesson I learned from dad, responsibility. Not only was dad faithful to his church and his family, he took responsibility for them. Dad didn’t just show up, he got in the game. In fact, whatever dad did, he was totally committed to it. It showed in his work as he routinely was given leadership positions in every company he worked for. At church, he made sure that things that needed to happen happened. His sense of responsibility was often a cause of frustration for him when others failed to follow-through or would drop the ball. When dad committed to something, he was all in.

               A third lesson that I learned from dad is perseverance. Many people, after they retire, begin to coast. Not dad. After he retired, he actually picked up the pace. He and mom got involved with a ministry called Care Lift. Once a year they would go to Lancaster, PA to work in Care Lift’s warehouse organizing supplies to be sent overseas. Not only did dad work there, he oversaw the operation, organizing the teams of people who would come to help. Then in February, they would board a plane and head to Belarus to distribute those supplies. Again, dad lead the team. In addition, they partnered with my brother in two ministries he was involved in. He assisted Tom with a leadership training program that Tom led and accompanied Tom to Russia on several mission trips. All together mom and dad made 19 trips overseas after their retirement.

               You would think that was enough, but dad was not finished. About ten years ago or so mom and dad moved down to North Carolina to be near Tom’s family. This permanent move meant leaving their church in Ohio and getting involved in a new church. Dad jumped in with both feet. The church ran a basketball program for the children of the area called Upwards. Dad took on the job of announcing these basketball games. He also took on the job of leading their Senior Sunday School class. After mom died, we thought we would lose dad as well. He had a total collapse and ended up in a rehab center for a short time. Much to the surprise of everyone, dad bounced back and was able to return to his apartment. In return, he began going back to the rehab center two days a week to volunteer. He went from being a resident to being a valued member of their team. Dad refused to give up.

               The Bible encourages us to look back at those who have gone before us as an encouragement and inspiration for our own race. Hebrews 12 puts it this way. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) Dad has taken his place among that great cloud of witnesses. Now it is up to us to pick up the baton and run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Revelation 14:13 (NIV)
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."