OnFireFit

Run the Race

Added 2022-02-28 12:01:02 +0000 UTC

It has been such a joy to read all the comments people have made about my dad who passed into eternal glory. He worked diligently and with all his heart but seemed somewhat effortless because of his attitude.

He broke down projects into small steps that he would do repeatedly. As a founding professor of a university, he also had to navigate other roles such as Director of Admissions. He would spend his day teaching, come home and work in his office calling prospective students. The door would open at 5pm to eat dinner with the family and then back into the office he would go to call students again. He always says he’d stopped calling when they started yelling at him for calling too late. He would then head out into the yard of our new house to put in the landscaping by light of the street lamps.

All the while, his calm demeanor seemed to indicate that he was happy with whatever he was doing. It was a blessing to have that kind of dad. I also have my mom to thank for picking a dad like that for my brother and me!

This verse seems to shine out to me in light of my dad’s fervency toward excellence and doing God’s will:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

May we all run the race and find joy in doing God’s will!