The Longest Lap in Barcelona

In the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semi-final carrying four years of preparation and a history of injuries that had already stolen one Olympic dream. When the gun fired, he burst from the blocks with everything he had.

Then, midway through the backstretch, his right hamstring snapped. Redmond crumpled to the track as the other runners disappeared around the bend. Medical staff rushed toward him with a stretcher, but Redmond waved them off. He stood up. And he started hopping toward the finish line.

Sixty-five thousand spectators rose to their feet. Then a large man in a T-shirt pushed past security and 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 — father and son crossing that line while the stadium wept.

The writer of Hebrews tells us to run with perseverance the race marked out for us. But notice — the passage never promises we will run it alone. The God who set the course also walks onto the track when our strength gives out. The Almighty does not watch our suffering from the grandstand. He comes down, puts His arm around us, and whispers the same ancient promise: "We will finish this together."

You were never meant to limp toward the finish line by yourself.