When my son was a senior in high school, the football coach made t-shirts for each player. Printed on the shirt was the theme that he wanted the boys to adopt, “Finish.” Coach knew an important truth. Many contests are lost at the end, when the players are tired, and when the team is down and discouraged. But, it is in these moments that winners dig deep and find the inspiration to give it all they have, to finish. . . and win.
Courageous Fox
I recently read a story of a courageous fox. This fox made an impossible journey of 2,175 miles, mostly across open sea ice. The fox left her home in Norway in search of a better environment to mate and raise her young. Initially, researchers had attached a pink satellite transmitter to study her local migration patterns. However, they were shocked when she ended up in Canada! In one day alone, the pink tracking device showed that she traveled an unbelievable ninety-seven miles. Eventually, the transmitter gave out and the little fox vanished into the vastness of the Arctic Ocean, until she turned up in Canada.
Her trek was nothing less than miraculous. It is mind-boggling to think of how God could imbue this creature with such courage, stamina, and determination that she would complete a perilous odyssey for a better future for her offspring.
Courageous Joshua
This reminds me of the story of Joshua in the Bible. When Joshua was looking across the Jordan river, God instructed him, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7). Like Joshua, God had given us the instruction to inhabit the land, to obey his law, “Do not turn from it to the right or to the left.” The promise to us is that if we will do this we will be successful in whatever God has given us to do.
Divinely Endowed
We too are divinely endowed with courage and determination for the times when God calls us to do more than we think we can do. Sometimes along the journey we forget. Our fear causes us to believe that God has abandoned us. But, like the fox and Joshua, God will give us the willpower, not only to keep going, but to finish.
God will prepare us for the journey he has set before us. We are stronger than we think we are. Even with the ever-changing landscape of our world, God will give us the courage of the little fox when we need it most. Yes, we live in uncertain times, but if we can dig deep, find the inspiration to give it all we have and to finish. . . we will see the will of God accomplished in the land of the living. Perhaps, we too should get t-shirts with the word “finish” printed on them.
Also see Keep Going! Be strong and courageous.
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear