The Cheeseburger

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. – 1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV

When my daughter was around nine years old, she participated in the Special Olympics racing. She had long legs and was good at running away, so I thought she might enjoy a controlled environment for a run. She has won a gold medal and a bronze medal. On the day of the bronze medal, she was hungry. A local fast-food franchise provided lunch. You guessed it, cheeseburgers and fries. At the time the lunch sacks were being handed out, my daughter's event was just called to be on deck, no cheeseburgers allowed. She was led to the track with her arms folded and her signature expression of her lips sticking out. It was race time, and they were off to the finish line.

She ran with her arms folded and her lips sticking out and came in 3rd place, winning the bronze. I knew if I held the cheeseburger at the finish line, she would have won a gold, but that wasn’t allowed either. She was led to the winner's stand to receive her medal and have her photo taken, all the while with arms folded and lips sticking out. The cheeseburger could have been given to her on the winners’ stand, and she would have been elated.

How often do we go through life running the race without reaching God's full potential for us

because we're focused on what we want, or maybe everything isn’t quite right to inspire us to move forward? Sometimes, we need someone cheering us on at the finish line, a reason to run; we indeed have our Lord Jesus, along with those who have run the race before us. We are running for the Lord and our eternal reward. Our life here is temporary. May we make the best of the race we are running here on earth, as we see Jesus at the finish line. He may not be holding a cheeseburger in His arms, but something more valuable, and that is us embracing our Savior.

Heavenly Father. Thank You for the ability to run, no matter if it’s from our hospital bed, being homebound, in prison, or whatever our circumstance, we can still run with our faith, with our hope, in Your strength. Give us grace and strength to keep our eyes focused on You to complete Your will on earth for Your purpose and Your glory.

This devotion by author Terrie Miles is exclusively and solely shared with permission to New Beginnings Church. Any unauthorized printed reproduction, sharing, or use of this material is prohibited.