In the Relay of Life…How Well Do You Anchor?
Relationships are strengthened and destroyed by the same word, but different spectrums. Commitment is a phenomenon that can be in abundance or scarcity. The Anchor Leg of a race is usually the fastest and most experienced. Let’s park on the latter. Four individuals from different walks of life come together with a unified Will to not only Show Up, but Win!
It is an interesting phenomenon to see how much greatness is appreciated and admired in sports! The dedication is greatly respected and even studied. The grueling hours and sacrifice is seen as an understood catalyst to one’s Success. The thought of Going for Gold makes people more understanding of missed invitations and No Shows. The pursuit comes with an uncanny grace.
Attach your seatbelt, you know where we are going as the conversation of a Believer’s Pursuit comes to the Starting Blocks. When first giving our lives to Christ, there is the overwhelming gratefulness that comes into play knowing your life has been Saved. That euphoric feeling can also be met with some guilt and reservation about how The Crew will now see you as your pursuit changes. You have always been known as someone who goes hard, but now your Gold Pursuit is engraved with Eternity in mind.
Often times, the three whom suited up with you in the beginning will not be the same individuals who run the Relay of Life with you and cross the finish. Do we truly reconcile the reality of what the Fab Four will look like after you tell God, “Yes?” As sobering as that is, “You are Worth the Pursuit, Lord” has to be engraved in our hearts.
I head back to the Dream Team to talk about the Anchor Leg. Expecting that person to be fast is a given, but the level of experience for that moment is what is quite chilling. They are competing with the best of the best, but their minds still have to have an appreciation for the basics mechanics of the race. They hold the position to get the baton across the finish; whether the three before them did well or not.
As Believers, how well do we run as an anchor? How determined are we to finish strong, even if our team started off weak? Discernment is this beautiful tool that God gives us to strategize and Win the Relays of Life. So many are in the stands waiting for you to assume the position and run the race that God had set before you.
1 Corinthians 9:25-27 “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prizes
Divine Work & Pray:
Work: Jot down in your journal the preparation that you feel you have done to run the Anchor Leg in your Crew. Truly assess your impact on the team.
Pray: Father God, you’ve changed how we pursue even our preparation for winning. It is not about bragging rights of ourselves, but the wondrous works You have done in our lives to get to the finish! An Anchor Leg comes with great responsibility. May we not be ones who subject our bodies more physically to obey than spiritually. Our Great Finish is because of your finish, Lord. May we do in remembrance what will qualify us to one day be crowned. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
