Don't Loose Hope

At 7:00 p.m. on October 20, 1968, a few thousand spectators still sat in the Mexico City Olympic stadium. It was cool and dark as the last of the marathon runners were carried off in exhaustion to first-aid stations. More than an hour earlier, Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia--looking as fresh as when he started the race--powerfully crossed the finish line, the winner of the grueling 26 mile event.

As the remaining spectators prepared to leave, those sitting near the marathon gates suddenly were aroused by the sound of sirens going off and policemen blowing whistles. Confused, the spectators looked toward the gate. There, entering the stadium, came a long figure wearing the colors of Tanzania. His name was John Stephen Akhwari. He was the last man to finish the marathon. His leg was bloodied and bandaged, and he grimaced with each step. He had severely injured his knee in a fall, and he hobbled painfully around the 400-meter track.

The remaining spectators arose and applauded the courage of this man as if they were receiving the winner. Akhwari crossed the finish line and slowly walked off the field without turning to the cheering crowd.

Asked why he had not quit despite the pain and no chance of winning a medal, he said, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race, my country sent me to finish the race." (Robert D. Hales, "Behold We Count Them Happy Which Endure." Ensign, May 1998).

We are on earth not only to begin a race with mortality but to finish it. We may be bloody, bandaged, and grimacing as we approach the finish line, but as we move forward as best we can, our endurance will turn to success and our lives will not have been wasted. What the world needs are finishers who do not lose hope, get discouraged, or give up!

As we seek to be good and improve our lives, we must not let our weaknesses discourage us or our flaws cause us to lose hope. Becoming good means becoming better not becoming perfect.