Monday, November 03, 2008

Straining toward the goal - no matter what

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Many stroke survivors know what it's like to strain forward in recovery.

I had my own experience pressing toward a goal on Sunday, Nov. 2, finishing the Bass Pro Shops Conservation Marathon in Springfield, Mo. Didn't set a world record but did set a personal record of 4:40:38, which is better than 15 minutes faster than my last effort, pre-stroke in 1997.

Regardless of one's physical level, there's a goal we can strain for. The goal is winnable for all - as Paul's first sentence above talks about, it's not about being "perfect." But a perfect life with Christ is the ultimate prize.

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