As a child, I always enjoyed watching the Olympics with my family and feeling pride when the USA won a medal. In third-world countries, it does not seem to be of interest to the general population, though. Life is more of a survival race than a competition with others. Trying to medal in an event seems trivial when stomachs are empty of food and loved ones suffer from a lack of adequate health care.

The common denominator I see with athletes reaching for gold and a people group trying to thrive is years of persevering and painful efforts to move ahead.

As missionaries and Christians, we, too, have a race to run and must persevere through sorrows, disappointments and heartaches along the way. Like athletes, we must not lose sight of the goal, and we must get up again when we trip and stumble. We are ambassadors to the people we serve and before the world, representing God’s government and heavenly country through our actions. Our uniforms must be the robe of Christ’s righteousness, and the flag we wave before others must be the blood-stained banner of Christ. Lastly, may we strive to be the gold, purified and purged by the Lord’s fire (Malachi 3:2, 3).

“When the Lord’s people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads. Filled with the Spirit, they will be complete in Christ.” Amazing Grace, Ellen White, p. 216.

We are nearing the end, Brethren. Remember, it is not how you start that matters, but how you finish!

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