The Finish Line You Don't Walk Alone

On August 3, 1992, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semifinal at the Barcelona Olympics. He had trained his entire life for this moment. Coming off the curve, his hamstring snapped. Redmond crumpled to the track, clutching his leg, his Olympic dream shattered in an instant.

But then he did something no one expected. He stood up. Through tears and searing pain, he began hopping toward the finish line. The crowd of 65,000 fell silent, then rose to their feet. And from the top of the stands, a large man in a T-shirt pushed past security guards and ran onto the track. It was Jim Redmond — Derek's father. He wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder and whispered, "We're going to finish this together." And they did.

Hope is not the absence of pain. Hope is the stubborn refusal to quit — and the discovery that you were never meant to finish alone. The writer of Hebrews tells us to "run with endurance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:1-2). Our Heavenly Father does not watch from a distance when we fall. He comes down. He breaks through every barrier. He puts His arm around us and says, "We'll finish this together."

Whatever race you're limping through today, you are not alone. The Father is already on the track.