The Track Meet (9/30/2023)

Last evening, from my porch there was quite a spectacle to witness. The fairways on the 8th and 2nd holes were lit up with lights – colored lights to indicate the racecourse and spotlights to illuminate the grounds for the runners and the supporters. I enjoyed having all that in my backyard, so to speak. And from the activities and the event, I learned two lessons: the importance of support in a race and the importance of the invisible workers in life.

Last evening around 7:30, I got a call from a friend who wondered if I would mind if they parked in our driveway and watched the event from my backyard. I assured them they were welcome to do so. And so a little after 8 p.m., the two of them made their way to my driveway. I led them around my home in the dark to the golf course and showed them the illuminated track where all the activity was taking place. It seems that they were there to offer support to members of the home team. So, they headed off to the track area. And I went back into my home.

I thought about their efforts to offer support to a young athlete. I can only imagine what it meant to the local runners when they heard their names being shouted and saw familiar faces urging them on, supporting their efforts. We all need support once in a while, when “the race” is getting challenging, when we are growing tired from our efforts. The example of this couple will stay with me for quite a while. I hope I can be a supporter of others along the way.

I had watched them put up the track and construct the course the previous evening. They worked diligently to get everything in place and test the system. It was remarkable. Last evening, after the race, when I was ready to retire, I did what I always do, I went to my porch for some time with the LORD to reflect on the day. I observed the course, still lit up like a Christmas tree even though there wasn’t a soul present. This morning, when I went to my porch for my morning wake up with the LORD, the course was completely clear – not a single sign of the fantastic and elaborate course that had been there only hours before. It struck me how much work was done, unseen by others.

I thought about the “clean up” work a while this morning. Most of our labors for Christ are unseen by our brothers and sisters, but that does not mean they are unseen or insignificant. I thought of all the goodness that happens every day that we benefit from but are oblivious to. And I asked the LORD to make me more aware of the challenges to others and their efforts for us. And lastly, I asked the LORD to help me in my “unseen” acts to do what I can whenever I can for whomever I can without concern for who will ever know. As I was taught as a child, “goodness is its own reward.”

And so, this morning, I thank the LORD for the visuals of the track meet. And I am reminded of my sister Betty’s favorite reading in the Letters of the New Testament: 2 Timothy - “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.