It was my freshman year of high school, and I decided to try cross-country running. The only problems were my seven-minute miles and the thirty extra pounds that chased me everywhere I ran. If I were going to be competitive in this sport, it was going to take everything I had. Riding my bike to practice and then riding home after practice only to pass out in my parents’ kitchen became my morning routine for the entire summer vacation.

 

Two months later, after knocking two minutes off of my mile time and all thirty of those extra pounds off of my body, 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 was feeling sick, but I was edging toward the front. By the third marker I was sweating profusely, choking down my breakfast, and my body was ready to quit. With the finish line in my sight, there was nothing that could stop me from winning the race. I had to cross! I never saw the last 15 yards of the race, but according to my coaches and teammates I made it far enough to pass out over the finish line.

 

I placed in the top 10 in that race, and though I would go on to race in the regional competition that season my greatest race was the one where I left it all out on the field. That first race was where I learned how to win. In Matthew 19, the young man essentially asked Jesus, “How do I win in life?” Jesus responded to the young man by instructing him to, “Give up all your possessions and follow Me.” Jesus was outlining what was and still is the cost of becoming a disciple and victor in the race of life.