http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_500
My first "Lil 5" was exhilarating. Before the race, each team was recognized, fight songs were sung, and parachute men fell from the sky. When the race was about to begin, I heard the marshall state the famous words I had heard in Breaking Away. He proudly announced, "Riders. Mount your bicycles." After the pace laps were completed, the riders sped away into the pedaling journey of their lives.
As a fan watching in the stands, my reaction was as follows. The beginning of both races were exciting, the middle super boring, and the end thrilling. It's accurate to say that the end to the women's race was thrilling. However, the end to the men's race was unbelievable. With one lap to go, there were seven teams in contention to win. However, just before turn four on the penultimate lap, one rider crashed. This caused a huge pile up involving five other riders! Only one escaped the wreck, and his team went on to win the race.
Everybody in the crowd was in disbelief. All of a sudden the potential for an exciting, neck and neck finish was gone. The fallen riders got up and finished the race, with disappointment plastered on their faces. However, as depressing as the finish was, there was a bright spot. It involved the Fiji riders, who were one of the teams involved in the crash. As my hands rested on the top of my head, I realized that the Fiji fraternity brothers all came down to the track to give their riders hugs and say congratulations. While I watched the tired athletes receive comfort from their friends, I realized that it symbolized an important aspect of life.
These riders trained all year for one race, for one chance to hoist a trophy. But in this race, all of that training led to nothing. One crash popped the balloon of hope. For some reason though, the fraternity brothers still congratulated their teammates about how much they had accomplished. This made me realize that what really matters isn't the prize. What matters is experiencing the journey and supporting your friends through it.
The Little 500 is a good symbol for life. Like the race, the beginning of life is really fast and exciting. However, the middle is gruesome and tiring. Granted, I'm still young (haha). However, for most people, all they want to do is get to the end, smile, and bask in the glory. Is there anyway to bypass the hard, boring part in the middle? God says no. But he does make us a promise for experiencing this tough structure we call life. It is found in John chapter 3, verse 16. It states:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
If I'm promised eternal life, what do I have to do to get it? Luckily, it is clearly stated in Romans 4:16:
"Therefore, the promise comes by faith..."
God promises that we will receive his ultimate prize no matter what happens. All we have to do is believe in him. If I believe in God though, what is the point of living? Can't I just say I believe and go straight to Heaven? Fortunately, Jesus answers this question very plainly in John 15:12:
"My command is this:
Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this:
to lay down one's life for one's friends."
Therefore, we live to love and be loved. We like to chase personal goals, like how the riders tried to capture the Little 500 trophy. But in the end, love is all that matters. The support of our friends, like the Fiji brothers, is what we should truly value.
The key to the race we call life is not worrying about what happens in it. We should simply believe in God and love one another. After the race, we can celebrate with our friends knowing that we did it. We finished. So I urge you to stay strong and enjoy the life you have. There is a party waiting. An eternal party.
Song for the week: I'll Be There For You by The Rembrandts
