The Tortise and the Hare

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize”.  1 Corinthians 1:24 NIV

Do you remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The hare liked to boast about his speed and he was very arrogant about it. He eventually challenges the slow-moving tortoise to a race. Incredibly overconfident in his swift speed, he goes so far ahead of Mr. Tortise that he decides to take a nap. I mean there is no way he’s losing this race, it’s impossible for that tortoise to catch up. So, he closes his eyes and goes to dreamland. However, the steady determined pace of the tortoise continues and eventually he crosses the finish line while the hare is still asleep.

I can see a distinct parallel in my life to the hare. Have I also have become overconfident in my abilities as a Christian? I can say the prayers that I need at times that I need. I can quote a Scripture or two and I read the Bible more than I ever did. That says a lot, doesn’t it? Like the hare, I am often in a hurry to be “more Christian.”  Sometimes I even feel I need to beat everyone to the finish line, because I can’t be thought of as slow by others, let alone God.

Unlike the hare, the tortoise kept moving steadily, slowly forward no matter how slow he was compared to the hare. We are called to trust God and keep moving faithfully forward no matter how slow we go. Keeping that steady, focused pace even if everyone seems to be racing ahead of us. This world values speed and instant results. But let’s look at how the tortoise proceeded in the face of the hare’s challenge. He kept a steady pace, didn’t get distracted and kept his eyes on the finish line.

The hare’s burst of speed was followed by a nap. Do you remember the initial excitement you had when you became born again? You couldn’t do enough, read enough, talk to God enough…remember? After a while, maybe your focus waned due to distractions and the “I got this, piece of cake” mentality. With painful honesty, I admit impatience that I wasn’t at the level I thought I should be and everyone else seemed to be. Once again, there is a lot of ego and pride in there. Besides, a slow and steady pace may win the race, but it can be very unexciting and boring. We want breakthroughs, and head exploding revelations all the time! (That does sound exhausting, actually).

That’s not what God wants. He wants us to take the time whether it’s reading His word or just talking to Him. Even if you feel you’re moving at a snail’s pace, that’s O.K. We might be in a hurry, but God certainly isn’t! Being diligent in our work, having patience in our challenges and always moving forward in faith. Slowing down and allowing Him to move us along at the speed He sets for each of us, we will reach the finish line and know heaven will be cheering us on the whole way!

Prayer for this week:

Lord, help us to be patient and steady in our journey, just like the tortoise. We trust You will lead us at the right pace. Remove from us the need to compare ourselves with others. Give us the strength to keep moving forward, no matter how slow it seems and trust You with the outcome.

Amen