The athletes who win the coveted medals share something in common with leading-edge Boomers: A quest to succeed in fulfilling their calling.
It is crystal clear for the Olympic athlete: Use your God-given talents, skills, body, and mind; wrap them up in experience, knowledge, and training; set a goal; stay focused, and persevere. Oh, and finish the race. For Boomers navigating a new season of life, pursuing purpose and calling is not always as obvious.
An incredible illustration of purposeful perseverance comes from the 1968 Summer Olympic Games held in Mexico City. Mamo Wolde, an Ethiopian runner, won a record-winning gold medal in the Men’s Marathon. Well over an hour later, after all the medals were awarded, the athletes had returned to the locker rooms, and the audience was clearing the stadium, a curious murmur rumbled through the stands. The crowd noted sirens, flashing lights and television crews running to the entrance of the arena. There, one lone man was limping onto the track. It was John Steven Akhwari from Tanzania. He was running slowly, obviously in pain from injuries suffered in a pile-up of other athletes nearing the halfway point of the race. His badly gashed and dislocated knee was loosely bandaged and he gingerly guarded his bruised shoulder. John Steven entered the arena and began the final lap of his Marathon experience. The crowd began shouting, clapping and whistling–cheering on this late-arriving runner as he limped around the track.
When later asked why he didn’t give up, John Steven Akhwari stated,
My country didn’t send me 5,000 miles to the Olympics to start the race.
My country sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.
John Steven Akhwari knew his purpose and calling. He persevered. He finished well.
The mission of Re-Ignite, and our book, Third Calling, is to encourage our peers in finding purpose and passion in life. We all need opportunities to step back and explore how God has led us through the experiences of life; how He has uniquely designed us, and ultimately, what He wants us to be and do in the second half of life. We want to cheer you on, fellow runners–and help you run your victory laps with purpose, calling, perseverance, and maybe a bit of flair.
