I decided to try cross-country running during my freshman year of high school. The only problems were my seven-minute miles and the 30 extra pounds that chased me. To be competitive, it was going to take everything I had. Riding my bike to and from practice only to pass out in my kitchen became my summer-long morning routine.

Two months later, two minutes faster, and 30 pounds lighter, it was time for my first race. At the first mile marker, I was in the front half of the pack. By the second marker I felt sick, but I edged toward the front. By the third marker, my body was ready to quit. With the finish line in sight, there was nothing that could stop me. I never saw the last 15 yards of the race, but apparently, I made it far enough to pass out over the finish line.

I placed in the top 10 in that race — a race where I left it all out on the field and learned how to win.

In Matthew 19:16, the young man essentially asked Jesus, “How do I win in life?” Jesus instructed him to give up all his possessions and follow Him. Jesus outlined what was and still is the cost of becoming a disciple and victor in the race of life.