Tears filled my eyes the other day as I stood at the finish line of the Los Angeles Marathon. No, it wasn’t because I crossed the finish line. In fact, I was having to adjust to being a bystander supporting my friends that were running it. Although I so badly wanted to be out there running, standing in the crowd gave me perspective. Watching the look on some of their faces brought back the memories of how painful a marathon can be. Some runners were literally yards away from the finish line and had nothing left. They were broken. I know that feeling. Your mind feels defeated. There were a few people that were experiencing something I have never experienced in my years of running. After running 26 miles with less then .2 to go, closing in on the finish line their bodies just said no. You could see their run had turned into some sort of strange hobble. Their eyes were glazed over. After miles of brutal heat, and the unforgiving pavement, they simply could not complete the last few yards that were necessary to cross the finish line. As some of them collapsed, all hope seemed lost. Then, the unthinkable happened! Hands stretched out to pick them back up. It was friends and complete strangers offering their outstretched hands of support. It was beautiful. This brought tears to my eyes. As this happened the crowd began to cheer louder.
Watching this unfold made me think of the Christian walk. I find the beauty of following Jesus is found in the reality that we were not meant to do it alone. At times we do feel alone and when we begin to fall, Jesus is there to pick us back up, more often then not he comes in the form of others. There at the finish line I was reminded me of the words of Paul, when he wrote “Bear one another’s burdens.”
In retrospect, I consider one of the most meaningful things I learned while observing this was the fact that the runners that helped take on an extra load to the finish line were also in pain. I have ran my share of marathons and I know that by the end you are physically exhausted. It is truly a beautiful thing when one who has nothing left to give, gives it away to someone who needs it more than them.
