Where is the Flame?

Where is the Flame?

Lately, a particular illustration has been capturing my mind. I heard it from a pastor years ago at a leadership summit: "The driving question is more than 'Are you running hard?', but rather, 'Are you running hard for the right purpose?'"

In 1996, the Olympic games were held in Atlanta, Georgia. However, the flame that would eventually light the torch at the Olympic Stadium began its journey in Greece, making its way across that country before coming onto American soil. The journey of the flame, once it touched our shores, took 84 days to travel from the West coast to the East coast.

Now, imagine that one of the runners was preparing to run his part (the equivalent of a marathon), and he convinced himself that he could do it in 3 1/2 hours, even though the last time he ran a marathon he completed it in 4 hours.

So, he receives the flame from the previous runner and takes off on his record-setting run. As he crosses mile 15, a huge gust of wind comes up and extinguishes the flame. There has been one constant flame carried across two continents over thousands of miles--and now the flame is gone.

The runner has a choice to make: return to the place where he first received the flame or keep running.

He decides to keep running because he is still on pace to crush his previous time. And, off he goes again. As he runs into the city, people see that he has made it and they begin to cheer. He is filled with joy and adrenalin because he has run so hard that he will set a new record for himself, covering 26 miles in 3 1/2 hours.

But then the people's cheers are replaced with the question, "Where is the flame?"

You see, the runner became so focused on running hard and achieving a new goal that he abandoned the whole purpose of the run--to pass on the FLAME! He was chosen for this job not only because he could run hard but because the organizers thought he could be trusted to carry the flame well and pass it on.

This image continues to convict me each day. I ask myself: "Am I just running hard, or am I running to pass on the flame?" Let this be a reflection for us as we go about our day. Are we running hard for the right purpose? Because those who have put their trust in Jesus have been chosen not just to run hard, but to carry the light of Christ from one city to the next, from one generation to the next.

Let's not complicate our calling beyond the task we have been given, lest we abandon the true purpose to which we have been called. You are a runner. And, you were meant to pass on the flame--the light of Jesus into a dark world.

Run well.

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