Have you heard of a 0K (not OK, but zero kilometers)? One might be held at a minor league stadium. You walk the length of the first row of seats. There’s a “hydration station” with microbrews in each section. When you cross the finish line (the end of the first row), you get a hot dog and a ticket to a baseball game. Want to join me?

In 2 Timothy, Paul wrote his last letter during his last days on earth. Looking over his years of serving Christ, Paul wrote, “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (4:7). Paul could’ve listed cities he visited as a missionary or the people he told about Christ. He didn’t. Paul simply celebrated that he finished the race of faith.

In every 5K or marathon, only one runner wins. The race of faith is different. It doesn’t matter if you sprint through life as a missionary to faraway places or slowly walk through life in faith. It matters that you finish. It doesn’t matter if you get lost for a time or fall on your face. It matters if you finish. It doesn’t even matter when you started. The thief on the cross next to Jesus received the same heaven as Paul. Five minutes after you die, it doesn’t matter what you accomplished on earth; it matters if you had faith in Christ.

Too often we compare our Christian lives to others’ lives. Some are sprinters. Let them sprint, and cheer them on. Simply be faithful. Keep moving forward in your faith. Keep trusting. God will lead you across the finish line!