I ran cross country in high school. My least favorite
part of an away meet was the “pre-run” of the
3.1-mile course. I barely had enough energy to run
the official 3.1 miles; to make me pre-run a good
chunk of those 3.1 miles in order to acquaint myself
with the 3.1 miles that I was about to run fell under
the definition of cruel and unusual punishment.
Couldn’t they shuttle us around? But it was a nec-
essary cruelty if I had any chance of competing
victoriously: missing a loop or a turn in the winding
course would automatically disqualify me from
placing in the meet. Enduring hardship—the kind
that results in victory—requires playing by the rules.
There are all kinds of creative ways to cross the
finish line first—like Rosie Ruiz, the women’s division
“winner” of the 1980 Boston Marathon who ran only
the last 800 meters of the 26.2 miles—but a true
winner will cross the finish line first according to
the rules.
PLAYING
BY THE
RULES
ENDURING HARDSHIP REQUIRES
“Also if anyone competes as
an athlete, he does not win
the prize unless he competes
according to the rules.”
2 TIMOTHY 2:5