All on the Field: A Good Athlete—Having Discipline - Monday
2 Timothy 2:5
And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. (NLT)
Can you remember the name of the woman that “won” the 1980 Boston Marathon, only to be later disqualified under a cloud of suspicion? Seemingly and actually out of nowhere, she crossed the finish line first in the 84th Boston Marathon. Her competitors were shocked because they didn’t recall her at or near the lead. Having recorded the fastest female time in Boston Marathon history and the third fastest female marathon time in history (at the time), Rosie Ruiz was famously disqualified eight days after her shocking victory because she didn’t follow the rules.
Instead of running the course, Ruiz allegedly boarded a subway where she was spotted by a freelance photographer. Two Harvard students also noticed her bursting out of a crowd about a half mile from the finish line. Rosie cheated and, as a result, missed out on the prize.
Rosie’s story is pretty extreme. It turns out, she wasn’t much of a marathon runner at all. For reasons only she would know, she cheated at the New York City Marathon, too. Though it seems she never fessed up to her deceitful actions in Boston, someone close to her later in life relayed that when Rosie rejoined the race, she was actually shocked to realize there were no females who had already passed by.
It’s easy to make a mockery of something so outlandish, but I must confess that I’ve taken shortcuts at times, too. Life is hard, and there are moments when the wrong way seems like the right way. The difficulty and pain, real or perceived, seem like too much. In today’s verse, Paul’s words to his young protege, Timothy, take this into consideration, and Paul implores him to “follow the rules” as he works to “win the prize.” On this Monday, let’s run our race to win the prize.
Monday’s Reflection
Are there any areas in life where you are taking shortcuts? Talk with God about it, and confess to another Jesus follower, too, if need be.
