Twists and Turns

As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:5-8 ESV).

Last weekend we had the running of the 143rd Kentucky Derby. Always Dreaming won when he held off a late charge from Lookin At Lee, Battle of Midway and Classic Empire by two-and-three-quarter lengths. I began to think about that finish and went to our reading today. I was reminded that in the Christian life there isn’t a “win, place, and show.” We all win when we cross the finish line having given our all to the race God has set before us. It also made me think about our walk of faith and our seasons of service. Moses didn’t always lead the Israelites. For a while, it was sheep. For a while, he wasn’t leading anyone at all. In fact it could be argued he was trying to do it alone and not doing well at all. And in his final days on earth, he only got to see the Promised Land. He couldn’t enter it. All of us have those moments in life. We all have a story line for how we think our lives are supposed to go. No matter what it looks like, we all have a script for how we think life should play out. And that’s great until things don’t work out like we had hoped, until there’s a change of plans, a failure or a disappointment. Moments like that are frustrating and can leave us feeling like our whole story is ruined. The Apostle Paul’s life-story was full of twists and turns like these. Moments where no one knew what would happen or if it would ever be okay again. But through Paul’s response, we discover that our most disappointing moments don’t have to be the end. In fact, they may just be the plot twist that makes our story even better. There is really only one key to success in these kinds of twists and turns in life. We must learn the principle of relational living instead of the often practiced principle of reactionary living. The latter is much easier, but it never produces true victory. Tragically we are little more than waves driven in the wind when we merely react to life’s circumstances. The kind of hope that allows Paul to declare he is “ready to be poured out” is future focused. He knows he will finish the race and win the prize of eternal life. He knows this simply because of his relationship with Christ. He is not depending on how well his present circumstances seem; he is depending on the promises of God secured through the completed work of grace in Christ. I like that kind of dependence much more. It works!