8 Nov, 2010
Finishing the Race!
Chilean miner wins NY hearts by finishing marathon
(Reuters) - He finished more than three and a half hours behind the champion, yet Chilean miner Edison Pena won the hearts of spectators with an inspiring effort at the New York City Marathon Sunday.
Pena, the 12th miner brought to the surface last month after being trapped with 32 companions for 69 days, ran daily through the tunnels of the mine until the rescue and was invited to New York by race organizers.
Coping with aching knees during his 26.2-mile trip through the five boroughs of New York, Pena completed the journey in five hours 40 minutes 51 seconds to sustained cheers from crowds of more than two million who lined the course.
"It was worthwhile for me to come this far to run a marathon, because I want to motivate people," Pena, 34, told reporters. "I want to convince them that they can do what they set out to do in life.
"In this marathon I struggled. I struggled with myself, I struggled with my own pain, but I made it to the finish line. I want to motivate other people to also find the courage and strength to transcend their own pain."
Pena, whose effervescent personality made him the toast of New York this week on TV and around town, ran the first half of the race before pain forced him to stop at a medical stand and have ice packs strapped to both knees.
He walked the rest of the way, before summoning the strength to run the last stretch to the Central Park finish.
"I could have come here to watch the marathon instead of running," Pena said. "I could have just been a special guest, but I wanted to take up the challenge of running."
Story and Photo from http://news.google.com.
Hebrews 12:1-3 (ESV)
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about endurance?
Talk about endurance. When most might have been tempted to call it quits, Pena kept his eyes on the finish line, and with "ice packs strapped to both knees," finished the NY Marathon. That's a pretty amazing feat considering most of his training was running everyday in that Chilean mine. This weekend in front of millions of witnesses, Pena finished the race.
According to the writer of Hebrews, we too are in a race, "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses." Life is a race that definitely calls for endurance and for us to keep our eyes on the finish line. For us, as followers of Jesus, we know that he is our motivation. It is because of him that we can endure whatever trials we face in this race called life.
How can I connect today's God's Story scripture to My Life?
- Are you running this race with your eyes on Jesus? The New International Version states that we need to be "fixing our eyes on Jesus." It's not just about looking toward him or thinking of him every now and then. If we are going to run this race the way the Father intended for us to run, we need to look to Jesus, and never take our eyes off of him.
- Maybe you have taken your eyes off of Jesus in this race and it has caused you to stumble. All we have to do to get back into the race is turn our eyes back to Jesus and start running again. It might be painful, and there may be some consequences we have to deal with, but we are still in the race.
- Thank God today for the "great cloud of witnesses" who have already run this race. Allow them to be your motivation for whatever obstacles you might encounter in the race that has been "set before" you.
How can I connect Today's Story, My Story, and God's Story to Others?
- Do you have a friend who has stumbled in the race because they've taken their eyes off of Jesus? Give them some encouragement today by praying with them about their struggles.
- Help them up and get them back into the race by offering to be there for them as they encounter obstacles along the way. Offer to meet with them regularly to see how they are doing.
- Ask your friend if the two of you could meet together once a week to either read God's Story together or pray together or hold each other accountable to keeping your eyes "fixed" on Jesus. It's always more fun to run with someone.
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