What Christians can learn from the INEOS 159 marathon!

NO HUMAN IS LIMITED is the phrase that has been repeated over and over again. These were the words of a marathoner who recently made history.

On 12^th October 2019, Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in under 2 hours. He ran a 42.2 km course in 1hr 59minutes and 40 seconds! It was initially predicted that the 2-hour barrier would be broken in 2075. Kipchoge proved them wrong! Although some critics were quick to say that without his shoes, he wouldn’t have run in under 2 hours, we can all agree that HE DID IT! And he inspired us while at it!

As a Christian, here are my takeaways:

–Preparation– When Eliud was younger, he would walk to the nearest town to sell milk as well as go to school. At this time, I believe God was preparing him. He was learning endurance and persistence even before he realized his promise! You may not know, but I guarantee you… along the way, God was already preparing you for greatness. Don’t despise your humble beginnings!

–Process– It has always been said that process leads to promise. Eliud’s process took almost 16 years from the time he went for his first race in track and field to when he became a world-class marathoner. He went back and did his work, trusting the process. Truly, nothing comes overnight.

–Don’t let failure define you, fix your eyes on the prize! – Eliud was previously a track and field athlete before he switched over to marathon, and he excelled at it. In a speech that he made last year, he mentioned that in his first race in Kenya, he became 6^th. Instead of quitting, he challenged himself to go back and become better. Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.

–FAIL FORWARD. 2 years before his win, Eliud was 25 seconds shy of breaking the 2-hour barrier. All that training, and he never broke the barrier! Instead of throwing in the towel, he said the world was not 25 seconds away rather “25 seconds closer.”

Lastly, I ask is NO HUMAN LIMITED? I believe so! I think we limit ourselves by our thinking and lack of vision! That is why we are called to “renew our minds”

When I read that phrase, “NO HUMAN IS LIMITED” I immediately thought of the people building the tower of Babel. I know what you are probably thinking this is a horrible thought. Let me explain…They had set their minds (imagined) on their goal, and God stated that nothing would be restrained. Meaning, they would have reached their goal.

Genesis 11: 6 …and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

I truly believe that we need to have vision, imagination, and faith to accomplish what God has purposed in our lives. We need to ensure preparation meets opportunity. Of course, we should NEVER forget that our strength comes from our God, and we should not rely on our own!

Just as Eliud imagined that this was possible, he imagined it, trained for it, failed at it, and did it all over again to WIN!!!- we can do it too.

Keep believing!