Gospel Doctrine Class - "I Have Finished My Course"

Today's lesson was New Testament, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus and the title is a statement by the Apostle Paul "I Have Finished My Course" for the attention activity they suggested asking questions about racing, about finishing races, how many winners, how our life is like a race, etc.

All week long after I had read the lesson I kept thinking about an email that my son-in-law's father sent me in 2009 about his experience of running his first marathon. When he sent it to me I remembered thinking this experience he has shared with us (everyone he emailed) is such a great metaphor for life and I saved it, thinking that some day I might want to refer to it for a lesson or talk. Well, 2 yrs later I did.

I started my lesson with the following excerpts from his story:

"...The first eight miles flew by. I hardly remember them. We ran about a 10:45 pace up through mile 19 or 20. By then, the fatigue starting kicking in as both the long run and the heat began to really take their toll.

"...[My] daughter Becky ran from the finish line out to mile 22, met me there, and then ran on in with me. That was pretty cool. I was very glad to have her along with me. We didn't talk much, because I was quite focused on keeping going at that point, but I felt her encouragement as we pounded the hot pavement and put one foot in front of the other. Marianne (his wife) was waiting at mile 24 and ran in the last two with us. That was great too... although in many ways I wasn't very tuned into their presence. My brain was definitely focused on just making my body do what was required to get to the finish line. I knew there was no way I was going to quit after having gone so far. I couldn't truly imagine quitting at mile 22 or 23 or 24 or even 25, even though my body really, really wanted me to. Those last four miles were certainly the most physically grueling experience of my life. ...By then, my right knee was finally numb (which I was quite thankful for since it had been screaming at me since about mile 14) and a nail on my right foot informed me that it no longer wanted to stay connected to its toe."

"My training program really emphasized mental focus and preparation. I had practiced many of the program's visualization and focus techniques over the 5 months, but in those final four miles I ended up using something that was totally new for me and very basic. I simply began to mentally chant, "I will not quit, I will not quit." Then, in a way that was quite spiritual for me, I put the chant to music, adopting the melody from the last two lines of the hymn Press Forward Saints. So my chant became, "I will not quit, no I will not quit. I will not quit. I will not quit. I will not quit." This might seem weird, cheesy or overly churchy to others, but it was quite meaningful and powerful for me -- the combination of my assertive language and the resolute tone and tempo of the hymn gave me the strength and determination to keep going."

"I finally crossed the finish line. I had expected that to be a very jubilant moment, but it was almost surreal. I couldn't quite believe that it was over, that I had gone the full 26.2, and that I had indeed finished my first marathon. In fact, I was pretty disoriented. Maybe the heat had gotten to me or maybe I was just fully and completely exhausted. More likely, it was both. I kind of wandered around a bit, looking for water and shade, and unsure if I should sit or walk, stretch or lay down. Marianne and Becky kind of followed me around asking what I needed or what they could do for me. The event organizers were serving all the runners strawberry shortcake. Once I got my senses about me, that's what I wanted. I had two huge helpings and immensely savored every wolfed-down bite."

"[I] finished in about 5 hours flat. That was on the long side of what I had expected to do (I figured 4 1/2 to 5 hours), but I have no disappointment about it. My goal was to complete a marathon and that's exactly what I did."

I then asked the question - What similes are there in this story and to the course that we are trying to run/finish in our lives?

enduring to the end

That he did not remember much before mile 8 (much of our life before the age of 8 is not remembered)

The "I will not quit"

That even though he had done all the training programs of mental focus and visualization that it was the spiritual that got him through

That he did not have to run alone - Becky & Marianne ran beside him, (much like we are not asked to go through life alone)

That it was a Hymn that gave him strength

That even though he had pain and struggles that was not what he focused on in his story, it was the lessons learned, and the spiritual that he remembered

The great reward at the end

That even if he wasn't able to do it in the time he had hoped to, he was not disappointed (so many things in this life relate to that)

That he met his goal

There were others, I know, but that gives you the idea.....and then we went on to talk about the things that Paul teaches us that we need to do -

To finish my course, I must:

Learn and teach true doctrine

Be an example of the believers

Follow after righteousness and deny ungodliness

But I loved how this awesome journal entry helped start out the lesson so beautifully! Another cool part of this is that most of the people of our Ward had met John Rex, Sr. at the wedding reception here it Tx, so that added an extra, "oh, I know this person" kind of meaning to the story!!

I'm always so grateful and humbled that when I listen to the spirit tell me to "save a story" or to "use a story" that it is a great teaching moment and an instrument in strengthening mine and others testimonies of our Savior, Jesus Christ.