The Race Nobody Expected to Finish

In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British sprinter Derek Redmond lined up for the 400-meter semifinal with everything he had trained for on the line. Halfway around the track, his hamstring snapped. He crumpled to the ground while the other runners surged ahead toward the finish.

What happened next has been replayed millions of times. Redmond stood up. Through searing pain, he began hopping forward on one leg, tears streaming down his face. He refused to quit. Then a man pushed past security and ran onto the track — his father, Jim Redmond. He wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder and said, "We're going to finish this together." The two of them walked across that finish line while 65,000 people rose to their feet.

That moment mirrors something profound about the life of faith. Courage is not the absence of pain. It is not pretending the hamstring did not tear. Courage is getting back up when everything in you says stay down — and discovering that the Father is already running toward you.

The Almighty does not wait for us to have it all together. Isaiah 41:10 promises, "Do not fear, for I am with you." He meets us in the middle of our broken race, wraps His arm around us, and says, "We will finish this together."

You may be limping today. But you are not limping alone.