I was in Sapphire house. Grade 11. It was Sports day and all our school were in Union grounds, for the track events. None of us are athletic in our family! Sometimes we pretend like we are. 😉 None of us can run!!! Well, we just don’t have the stamina!!! When Binil was a kid playing cricket on the streets with all the big guys, the ONLY way he got out was a RUN OUT. He was a good player, but a bad runner! It just isn’t in our genes, I guess!!! 😀

Well, and I remained very true to the qualifications of my lineage. Sujay was the captain of Sapphire house. He was looking for someone to run 400 m dash, among the girls. Sapphire house had some good runners among the boys. But not many, among the girls. He came up to me and said, “Varna, you run”. I told him, I can’t run for nuts! Sujay and couple of other seniors from Sapphire house came and spoke to me. I said, “I’ll faint”. He said, “No problem, we’ll come with water and set you right”. After much argument, I could’nt fight all the seniors, so I agreed!

It was one big joke, I tell you!!! I had lots of advice from my seniors like I was gonna get the medal!!! All strategy en all!!! 😀 I went and stood on the starting line. Once I went and stood on the line, I just wanted to give it my best. The gun shot, and off we ran. I just ran 100 m. I was super exhausted. I was thinking to myself, “No….. I need to give my very BEST”…. And ran…. Holding my breath I ran…. Within the next 75 m, I collapsed. The ground had tall grass. All that my captain could see was me falling down. I could’nt bring myself up. After 2-3 minutes… I stood up and began to walk towards the place where Sapphire house was seated. Sujay and a couple of other seniors came running with water bottles and everything…. I gave them a wide smile and told them…. “Did’nt I tell you”!!!! 😀 Oh……. That was one Hilarious episode in my life!!!

The problem with me is I have had no physical training to be an athelete and thereby no stamina at all. I can’t run a race, for which I have not been trained!

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:25

Just as we need physical training to run an athletic race, so do we need spiritual training to run our spiritual race. If we do not discipline ourselves to spend time with God, and bring the rule of the flesh under the rule of the Spirit, our spiritual muscles will NEVER build up.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

In our Christian life, each of us have our own races to run. God has laid out a path for each of us to run. Unless we continually bring our flesh under the subjection of the Holy Spirit, we will NOT be able to complete the race, and say what PAUL said : “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Trust and Obey, For there is no other way,

To be happy in Jesus, but to Trust and Obey!!!

– John H.Sammis, 1846

Have a fabulous month ahead!!!