Finishing Well & DNF

4th of July. Ideal weather for a 10 K race. 800+ runners milling around mentally reviewing their strategy for the race. Nerves on edge. At this point you are ready or you are not. That simple.

A good friend says of running and winning - - it is not the will to win but the will to prepare to win that matters. Real wisdom.

The runners come to the starting line. Running protocol says that the participants line up according to ability. Those that run a 4:30 mile pace at the front, the plodders, who just hope to finish regardless of the mile time at the ‘back of the pack’.

A young stud, buffed and well tanned, positions himself at the very front of this collection of pulsating testosterone. He does multiple ‘sprint outs’, hoping that the crowd is observing and appreciating his self-affirmed athletic superiority.

BANG! The starter’s gun signals the start of the race. The front-liners seek to establish themselves at or near the lead. This stud is soon hundreds of yards in the lead. As he rounds the first corner he is all alone – for now.

At the 4 mile mark (a 10K is 6.2 miles) I notice the "meat wagon”, runners jargon for the EMT’s with their ambulance on the side of the road, lights flashing. They have a patient on a stretcher loading him up for a ride to the finish in anything less than glory. It is the ‘Stud’. He will receive a DNF = Did Not Finish.

(This runner was a Marine home on leave. He assumed that Marine Corps Training was adequate to succeed in a 10K race. Make sure you prepare for the rigors of your task)

I recorded the best 10 K time of my running career in this race. My time corresponded with my ability and training.

Only 3 in 10 OT Leaders finished well. Go to www.bobbyclinton.com and read his helpful articles on this subject. Many begin with great fan-fare. Few finish strong. The obstacles are many. The parable of the tortise and the hare applies. Serve and lead having prepared well. Stay the course. Measure the rhythms and challenges wisely. Be accountable. Surrender to the LORD of LORDS and King of Kings daily (Luke 9:23).

Watch this video. Make finishing well a top priority .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJolVkw5cOc