Mr Seyler's Journal pg.5
journal home page-pg.1-pg.2-pg.3-pg.4-pg.6-pg.7
August 2003
One of my favorite movies of all time is Rocky . Not because of the brilliant acting and dialogue of Sylvester Stallone ( “Yo, Adrian!”) , but because of the inspiring lessons of passion, hard work, goals, pain, and endurance. My favorite scene is when Rocky is running through the streets of Philly… the kids start running with him… the people in the streets begin cheering him on. The scene ends when he leaves the crowd at the bottom and runs up to the top of the steps of Independence Hall. When he reaches the top the music intensifies and, with a burst of ecstatic celebration, he proudly dances around with his hands raised high above his head. He made it!
Can you echo those words of Paul? Are you presently living in such a way, that were your life to end… whether you are lying on a bed in a hospital—playing in a soccer game—or even in a prison in a foreign country preparing to be executed… you could look back on your life… mentally stand tall and dance around with your hands lifted high in ecstatic celebration and in essence say, “I MADE IT! I RAN THE RACE AND FINISHED WELL! I ENDURED HARD TIMES, I GOT RID OF DISTRACTIONS AND HINDRANCES, AND I KEPT MY FAITH AS I KEPT MY FOCUS…” You see fellow runners, it's not about how well you start the race—it's about how you finish !
straining toward what is AHEAD,
I press on toward the goal to win the prize” - Paul
Rocky could have stopped running to talk to his friends… he could have stopped to sign autographs for those cute little kids… he could have even stopped for a nice Philly cheesesteak (I had one from South Street one time, and it was pretty tasty too) —but he continued to run because he had a goal. His, Independence Hall… mine, a face-to-face encounter with Jesus… my Lord, my friend, my Redeemer!! Wow! It gives me chills thinking about it!
As you begin this school year… as you hear Patrick share God's Word during I.R.S., search your life… what is distracting you from finishing strong? Is it a relationship, athletics, your appearance, the pleasures of this earth, your own ambition, what people might think of you…? Let me challenge you to think about the truth of 1Corinthians… ”you are not your own. You were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God with your body.” Throw off the distractions that are entangling you, fix your eyes on JESUS, and finish STRONG!
Your Friend and Fellow-Runner,