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LUNGE ACROSS THE FINISH LINE
“It doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”
– Fred Lebow, Co-Founder of the New York City Marathon
Paul’s words to the people in Philippi (Philippians 2:12–14) remind me of a coach’s locker room speech. He’s doing all he can to fire up his team. Forget what’s behind; there’s nothing we can do about that now. Strain toward what is ahead; there is still hope and opportunity. These words have so much weight because Paul didn’t just write them; he lived them. His exhortation to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:7-8) contains some of the last words he would ever write, penned from a prison cell while awaiting execution. His checkered past didn’t define him. He fixed his eyes on what was ahead. He never let up and never gave up. His final breath was a cry of victory.
Shaunae Miller, the Olympic sprinter from the Bahamas, showed us what this looked like in the 2016 Rio games. She got off to a great start but seemed to be running out of gas as she moved along the 400-meter track. Her lead over Allyson Felix, the American, was quickly disappearing. As they approached the tape, Miller did something perfectly legal but rather unconventional. She left her feet and dove across the finish line. Felix ended on her feet; Miller ended in a heap on the ground. But Miller earned the gold, having broken the tape a mere seven-hundredths of a second before Felix!
We need more leaders like that. Leaders who don’t quit and won’t stop until their races are done. Leaders who give their best even on their final lap. Great leaders don’t just finish; they finish by lunging across the finish line.
REFLECT
- Everyone has a tendency or obstacle or weakness that renders them powerless. What’s yours? What’s the thing that keeps you from finishing what you’ve begun?
- What would change the story for you? Think of a habit or a question or a person or a discipline that would help you get back on track and stay on track until you lunge across the finish line.
We hope this Reading Plan helped you to lead and love better. For more leadership insight from the Apostle Paul, check out Follow Me: 21 Timeless Leadership Lessons.
About this Plan
Long before TED Talks, best-seller lists, podcasts, and conferences, there was a man whose influence and impact changed the world. He came to be known as the Apostle Paul, and he can teach us quite a bit about leadership. "Follow Me" takes leaders back to ancient principles and propels them forward into lives of greater influence. It's 1st-century wisdom for 21st-century leaders!
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