We work so hard planning and preparing for our race called life. Not many people know the following story and it provides a real life illustration as well as basic principals for our own lives.

The story picks up in Barcelona, Spain in 1992. His name, before the race, brought little recognition or notoriety outside the island he called home.
Yet after the race, his name became known throughout the world as an icon of the spirit of the Olympics. His name stands for courage, determination, strength, perseverance, tenacity, character and most of all, hope.

His name is Derek Redmond. The race he is known for wasn’t even a final, although he was favored to win a medal should he have made it that far. But he didn’t. So he owns no Olympic medals at all. No world records either. In fact, he doesn’t even hold a national record. But what Derek Redmond did when he ran that hot summer day in Spain impacted millions, both then and since, inspiring hope for when things don’t end up like you planned.

Take a peak…

As Derek started the race, his dream was within his grasp, but it ended with him grabbing his leg as he went down on the track. Tears of devastation forming in his eyes, threatening to betray how much he wanted to win this race. This was his race. This is what he trained for every day and every night for years leading up to the games. This was his time.

See when he went down there were officials, security and medics that wanted to attend to him, but he refused. He had put too much into this life time event to end up on the ground. But even with his own determination, he could not do it on his own. But then the man of the moment comes on the scene, his Father, and helps him to the finish line.

So many can relate to this story because they have had dreams shattered. Maybe you can too. You have set out to reach your goal only to have fallen short because of your own inadequacies, sinful rebellion, or paralyzing and crippling pain. People with good intentions try to help you off the track of your purpose and destiny. They tell you to take it easy. To settle. To move on. To let it go. Yet something within you won’t let you forget the aspirations you held just around the corner in the starting blocks. And even though you once lay crumbled under the weight of the unmet expectations, you somehow struggle to fight. Daring someone to stop you even though you don’t know how you could ever make it to the end on your own. Still, you fight.

You might have to watch it again, but near the end Derek was so emotional he wanted to hide his face. His shame of not finishing, of not being all he thought he could be was overwhelming, but watch. He father pulls his arm down and let’s him know that there is nothing to be ashamed of. In reality. the standing ovation he got was more powerful than one he may have gotten if he won the race. We do know it had a lasting impact, because he did not give up.

I don’t know what’s been torn in your life, men, or what has left you injured – or even what you many have done to injure yourself through wrong decisions, making it so that you are not able to run as far and as fast as you should. Possibly you are not even able to get up from the track at all. But I don know the One who sees you. He will come down from on high to join you in the lane five, if you will let Him. He knows your struggle. He knows your pain. If you listen, you can even hear Him say, “We are going to finish this together”. Your heavenly Father stands ready to embrace you and help you cross the finish line as the victorious kingdom man He as destined you to be.
The majority of the content of this post was taken from the book Kingdom Man by Tony Evans. I highly recommend this book if you really want to take the challenge and see what a biblical, Kingdom man is all about. This content was not used for any monetary gain, and is only reproduced for inspirational purposes.