July 11, 2021
Running Life’s Greatest Race
I remember vividly my flight into Nome, Alaska. After flying from
Mobile to Chicago, I had enjoyed a pleasant Delta ride into Anchorage. There I
was surprised to learn that the flight into Nome was being delayed by weather
conditions. Three hours passed as we waited impatiently.
Finally, we heard this announcement:
“Folks, we are ready to board your flight. We are going to try to make it into
Nome, though if the weather gets worse, the pilot may have to bring you back to
Anchorage.” The word “try” made me more than a little
nervous. But nervousness soon turned to
fear when, after what seemed a short flight, the pilot asked us to fasten our
seat belts and said, “We are going to try to land in Nome.” There was that word
“try” again.
Snow was all I could see out of my
window seat so it was obvious we were landing in the midst of a snowstorm. In a
moment like that, if you have never prayed a prayer in your life, you will
then, and I was praying hard for a safe landing. About the time we should have
felt the wheels touching down on the runway, the pilot gunned the engines and
aborted the landing. Quietly, he announced that he would fly around a bit and
then “try” another landing. All on board were applauding when the second
attempt proved successful. I have never been more thankful to feel the wheels
touch the runway.
I was in Nome for a preaching
mission sponsored by all ten churches in the small town. It was a unique
experience. I enjoyed a meal in the home of a gracious Eskimo family, got to
ride on a dog sled, and discovered what it was like to be broad daylight at 10
p.m. And it was there that I learned about the Iditarod Dog Sled Race which
begins in Anchorage and ends in Nome. The Iditarod occurs every March as the
Mushers, dogsled drivers, use teams of dogs to pull their sleds 1,000 miles while
competing for money and other prizes.
The race takes eight to 14 days to
complete, with dogs being forced to run about a hundred miles a day. Many
people are rightly concerned about the cruelty suffered by the dogs. Since the
first race in 1973, more than 150 dogs have died during the Iditarod.
What interests me is the way young
adults are willing to accept the challenge of running a team of dogs in this
race and other races like it. The race is run in bitterly cold wind and
snowstorms and on dangerous ice, in temperatures as low as 60 degrees below
zero. Already some 50 young men, and women, have signed up to compete in the
2022 Iditarod scheduled to begin on March 5.
Though some young adults are
unwilling to work these days, there are thousands of others across the world
who are dedicated to winning races like the Iditarod and the Olympics. They are
willing to make great sacrifices in order to win money or a gold medal. These
young adults remind us that youth love a challenge; that should inspire us who
are followers of Christ to work more earnestly to recruit our youth for the
greater challenge of serving Christ. We must continue to urge our youth to get
connected to Jesus and join with us in running life’s greatest race, the race
that requires our all in order to share our Lord’s mission to bring all people
into the Kingdom.
So, as long as I have breath left, I
plan to use it to challenge young people to accept the challenge to live for
Jesus by loving God and loving our neighbors to the end that all people, and dogs
as well, may live in a world of peace, justice and kindness. + + +