FINISH STRONG!!

The starting line. Hearts racing, adrenaline pumping, eyes focused and ears peeled for the sounding of the gun. The start of a race, the moment that can decide victory or defeat. No wonder every athlete takes so much effort to start off well.

I joined a run in Terengganu a month back. It was a run organized by the government of Terengganu and they wanted to have a special 3km run for OKU participants. A guy I was introduced to not very long ago contacted me about it and asked if I was interested. Well, of course I was! Everything was fully sponsored and I'd get an allowance of RM100 just by going. Plus, the cash prize for the 1st place was RM2,000!

I went there with some confidence in trying to win the grand prize but that was quickly dampened when I was introduced to a few Malaysian wheelchair Paralympic athletes who were joining to get the grand prize as well. I was introduced by a friend to a guy he referred to as "Malaysia's No. 1 wheelchair marathoner". The worst part was that everyone who were there hearing the conversation agreed to the "title" he was given. How was I supposed to win against this guy?! There were quite a number of other athletes there as well!

All I had in mind to do after that night was simply to leave an impression during the 3km race. I didn't want to leave a place, without having impacted or inspired someone. But how was I gonna do that when everyone else was also on a wheelchair? So, I decided to do my very best despite no longer having hopes for the grand prize, aiming to inspire with my sportsmanship, my fighting spirit and humility above all else.

So, the race day came and we were placed into rows before moving into the starting line. With a total of 180+ wheelchair participants, I ended up at the very back of the line and crossed the starting line LAST! All the other participants, especially the athletes were speeding right at the front and I knew I needed to get out of the "traffic jam" and at least catch up to some of them. I just consistently pushed and pushed, passing by one person after another, not thinking of anything but to do my best.

Before I knew it, I couldn't see anyone else in front of me except for 2 other guys. The guy closest to me was about 100m away from me & the other was definitely an obvious lead against all of us. I never thought of anything else but the next push I put into my wheels and by the half way mark, I was in the lead!

Looking back, I didn't start off very well as I would have wanted. There was a 1 minute gap between the sound of the gun and the time I crossed the starting line last. Along the way, there were so many wheelchairs in front of me that I was almost stuck while the rest of the athletes in front were already in a big lead. However important the start was, it wasn't the most important thing that day. The most important thing was whether I choose to FINISH STRONG, and I did! Being 1 minute behind at the starting line, I gained a lead by the halfway mark and continued to finish FIRST PLACE with a 43seconds lead over the 1st runner up. The next few places were taken by Paralympic athletes. Praise GOD!!

In this "marathon" we call life, some of us may not start off very well in the eyes of the world. Some of us may be from a broken family, had problems with relationships, got bullied when we were younger; you name it! However good it may be for us to start well, the reality is that most of us don't, and we may face even more challenges as we go further. However, we can still choose to FINISH STRONG in Christ Jesus!! Praise God that in Him, we have the strength to finish strong in life and will keep the faith at the end of our journey!

The rest of the 180+ participants in front of me. Biggest crowd of wheelchairs I've ever seen! 

Jesus was the champion that day. I was only a vessel to show His glory!

Hallelujah! 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Finish STRONG!!