Sermon Illustrations

THEY SENT ME HERE TO FINISH

During the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, the last runner to finish the marathon was an athlete from Tanzania. He'd had a difficult race, to say the least: he's stumbled at one point and ended up bruised, bloodied--and with a broken leg! But he didn't quit. Even though everyone else had already finished the race and gone home, he kept at it. Finally, at 7 pm, he hobbled into the near-empty stadium. There were still about 7,000 people on hand to witness his finish, and all 7,000 stood, giving this battered athlete a standing ovation as he finished his last lap. When this dedicated marathoner was asked, "Why didn't you quit?" he simply said, "My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me here to finish."

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