Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

“How are things at work?”, you are asked. The reply rolls off of your tongue easily. “I’m running around like crazy, trying to get everything done”. It’s a familiar feeling isn’t it? So much to do, not enough time to get it all done. The metaphor for running around is an apt one. But are we running to a goal, to finish a race, or to win a prize, or are we just running up and down the halls metaphorically because everyone around us is doing the same and we aren’t sure if we are getting anywhere at all? It’s so easy to fall into this trap and find ourselves day after day in a full out sprint but not sure of the location of that elusive finish line, if there is one at all.

While Paul, in I Corinthians 9:24-27, was talking about the “run of life” and how we are to race for the finish line for the prize to be with Jesus, he is also describing to us how it is that a runner wins any race of life. If we chunk down the different portions of our lives, like work as a significant chunk, the lesson he gives us can also help us win the races that we run at work, each and every day. The first lesson he gives us that we must run in a way to win, not to just run for the sake of running. For exercise, I am a distance runner and I understand what he is saying completely. When I run without a goal or an objective, I do not run the same. I am more likely to not push myself and to not actually improve. When I know I have a goal, which would be my personal race to win, then I train differently. I train in a disciplined fashion, which makes me better. Paul talks about the way to win the race is to first run to win, not to just show up. How we conduct ourselves at the office and live our worklife is a large part of the life race that we run. How we get our work done and balance it within our lives is also a part of the race. The example of working and living in a Christlike manner is part of the race of life. So, today, instead of running up and down the halls without purpose, can you chunk down the day into the things that are most important to accomplish and then also think about “how” it is that you will accomplish those goals as you work with others and affect how they feel about this day of work? Can you lay all of this out today to God and ask Him to help you run this race well, with a “W” in the win column when you leave the office today? Let’s have a win today, regardless if a big or small race because we were able to focus on why we are running the race. Tomorrow, more of how Paul says we can win the race.

Reference: I Corinthians 9:24-27 (New Living Testament)