The Finish Line

The boy was born with a degenerative muscle condition. "He'll never walk," the doctors said, but his missionary parents rallied many to pray. The boy grew in the rich soil of love. He breathed an atmosphere of faith, and he flourished. He walked. Then he ran, and skateboarded, and eventually became a brilliant guitarist.

Once upon an average morn
An average boy was born
For the second time

The day came when he counted the cost . . . 

Prone upon the altar there
He whispered up the prayer
He'd kept hid inside

. . . and embraced his parents' faith as his own.

The vision came, he saw the odds
A hundred little gods
On a gilded wheel

"These will vie to take your place,
But Father, by your grace
I will never kneel"

The boy who would never walk had entered the race.

And I saw you, upright and proud
And I saw you wave to the crowd
And I saw you laughing out loud
At the Philistines

He was one of the fearless ones -- not ashamed to be thought uncool for the sake of truth. He'd tasted the goodness of God and looked for every opportunity to share it with others.

And I saw you brush away rocks
And I saw you pull up your socks
And I saw you out of the blocks
For the finish line

He was a leader among his peers, loved the Word, and guarded his heart for Christ's sake. Sure, we knew he would encounter obstacles along the way, but his course was set, and his God-strengthened muscles were ready.

He finished college and headed off to graduate school. We who love him all watched with great anticipation to see what beautiful things he would accomplish for the kingdom of God.

None of us expected what happened.

It's not an unusual tale. Indeed, in its essence it's the same one we read in Genesis 3. It begins with a seed of doubt, planted by "the serpent" who never lacks an army of available Dr. Westons.

Darkness falls, the devil stirs
And as your vision blurs
You start stumbling

First you question the goodness of God.

The heart is weak, the will is gone
And every strong conviction
Comes tumbling down

Then you question His authority.

Malice rains, the acid guile
Is sucking at your shoes
While the mud is fresh

Then you question His existence.

It floods the trail, it bleeds you dry
As every little god
Buys its pound of flesh

It happens so gradually, you forget what grace was like. You see the thief as a benefactor and the ones who've blinded you as agents of enlightenment.

And I saw you licking your wounds
And I saw you weave your cocoons
And I saw you changing your tunes
For the party line

You listen to those who whisper what you've convinced yourself you want to hear.

And I saw you welsh on old debts
I saw you and your comrades bum cigarettes
And you hemmed and you hawed and you hedged all your bets
Waiting for a sign

You demand that God, if He does exist, make Himself known on your terms. You deify intellect and make science -- a mere tool for discovery -- your ultimate authority.

Let's wash our hands
As we throw little fits
Let's all wash our hands
As we curse hypocrites

You mock what you once cherished and criticize what you once embraced.

We're locked in the washroom
Turning old tricks
Deaf and joyless
And full of it

You surround yourself with people who buy the same empty suppositions and applaud your apostasy.

This is the well-worn tale, and this is where the boy finds himself today. I know it didn't happen overnight. I know he was wounded and disillusioned when the Dr. Westons came alongside with their insidious seductions. He didn't step out of the sunlight into pitch blackness. It started with clouds. Then a roof. Then tinted windows. By the time the light was completely obscured, he was ready to believe it had never existed.

His heart-broken parents pray and try not to lose hope, but he makes it harder and harder with every bridge he burns. Indeed, we all might be tempted to despair if Genesis 3 were the end of the story. But it isn't. The One who asked, "Why are you hiding?" still speaks, and He is able to make Himself heard. 

God is a relentless Lover. As Sufjan Stevens sings, "He will take you/ If you run/ He will chase you/ Because He is the Lord." And when He catches you -- amazing grace -- the cost can be recounted.

The vision came, he saw the odds
A hundred little gods
On a gilded wheel

"These have tried to take your place,
But Father, by your grace
I will never kneel
I will never kneel"

The kindness of God leads to repentance. The mercy of God accepts the prodigal who comes home. So I pray with hope. I pray, knowing that God can open the door to that darkened room, and when He does, the Light will flood in.

Off in the distance, bloodied but wise
As you squint with the light
Of the truth in your eyes

"And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground."

And I saw you, both hands were raised
And I saw your lips move in praise
And I saw you steady your gaze
For the finish line

It doesn't matter how many bridges have been burned.

Every idol like dust
A word scattered them all
And I rose to my feet
When you scaled the last wall

The cloud of witnesses has seen it played out over and over again from the beginning of time. Weights cast aside, sin shaken off, endurance granted by the One who authors and perfects faith.

And I gasped
When I saw you fall
In His arms
At the finish line
At the finish line
At the finish line

Thus ends Steve Taylor's song, The Finish Line. I don't know how my friend's story will end, but I do know my Redeemer lives, and nothing is too difficult for Him. That assurance gives me hope that the boy who would never walk will one day run back into his Father's waiting arms.

Faith is a precious gift and the one thing Christ will be looking for when He returns. May we never take it for granted, and may all our words and works encourage others to persevere in the race, finish the course, and -- when all the shadows are dispelled at last -- fall into the arms of our gracious Lord. 

Jeanne Damoff cries every time she listens to The Finish Line. The music is a brilliant complement to the words. She encourages you to listen to it and follow along with the lyrics embedded in this post. She also asks you to please pray for her young friend and his sorrowing parents. May he finish his race in glorious victory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Comments

[Maureen E. Doallas]

Wonderful post; thank you.

I'm reading Parting the Waters now as result of Glynn Young's recommendation. It's terrific.

[Jeanne Damoff]

Thank you, Maureen. I'm honored you're reading our story, and I'd love to hear your thoughts when you've finished it.

[deb @ talk at the table]

Jeanne,

I return to catch up with your wit and wisdom and beautiful writing, after decompressing a bit from getting some kids moved out and into their University lives,
and wow.

Firstly, I send love for you and your friends in this situation.

And I read the prior posts you linked to , but not the article in the HP as yet.
As someone who wishes they had a literary background I added this C.S. Lewis book to the top of my very very long list. Sigh.
Thank you so much for sharing your life in a way that always changes mine.
I have so so much to learn and understand , but I have always wondered about the question of judgement and tolerance and compassion and how we can "help" even while not offending or taking sides etc or being self-righteous ...
Much to think about. I know that I hide behind a comforting take no sides life because of course I wouldn't want to throw the first stone and all that. And because I don't know what I know.
Or maybe I do. :)

( and I'm still behind in all things blog ... catching up slowly. love to you always.)

[Jeanne Damoff]

Thank you so much, Deb. I appreciate all your kind words and affirmation. I have much to learn and understand, too, and I don't think it will be ever be easy to know how to offer the truth in love without offending or at the very least appearing self-righteous. There are no easy answers. I, too, would much rather say nothing and keep the peace, hoping my love shines through and Christ wins hearts without ever confronting anyone. The only thing I know for sure is that God is good and His commandments are not burdensome. I wish that were as easy to share as it seems like it should be.

As for the HP article, it's a very poorly written pro-atheistic bit of propaganda that "the boy who would never walk" recently shared as being "worth reading." It starts from the flawed supposition that, if there is a God, naturalistic science would have found evidence of Him by now. And it only gets worse from there. I was embarrassed for him that he would even post it. I included the link because it's a real-time example of his (and apparently many people's) current "terms" for proof of God's existence. Of course, scripture is clear that the heavens and the earth declare God's glory, but I suppose it's hard to see Him if you've placed blinders over your eyes and stopped your ears. Besides, it's obvious that finding evidence of God isn't their true goal anyway. It doesn't take a critical reading of the absurd arguments in the HP piece to realize that no terms will be good enough.

So, yeah. Read it if you want a prime example of 2 Corinthians 4:3,4: "[3] And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. [4] In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Otherwise, I wouldn't waste my time.

As you can see, this gets me a bit riled up. :)

Love you, too. Thanks for your comments and encouragement, as always.