24,902. That is the circumference of the earth at the equator. I began a running program in the fall of 1977 and have been running for thirty-five years. I am a numbers person, so of course I have all those running logs documenting my runs. For many of those years it has been a goal to run around the earth. After thirty-five years of running, the end is in sight. At my current pace, I should reach my goal in early 2014. I plan to have a celebration when I reach that milestone. I see bumper stickers of 13.1 and 26.2 announcing that the car owners have run the half or full marathon. I think when I reach my goal I will find a sticker that says 24,902.
Thirty-five years is a long time to pursue a goal. But I should tell you that I have been pursuing a goal even longer than that. In the summer of 1976, I was obedient to the Gospel and have been pursuing my goal of heaven since then. I, like the apostle Paul, am “reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Philippians 3:13).
I think goals are extremely important. If we don’t have direction, if we don’t know where we are going, how will we ever arrive there? This is important with our family goals, at work, in my case, exercise, in our personal growth, etc. Goals are important.
The most important goal in this life is to be prepared for the life that will follow. That is why thirty-six years ago I read the following verses in my bible and acted on them.
Hebrews 11:6 – I knew I had to have faith.
Romans 10:17 – I knew that faith’s origin is the Scriptures.
Luke 13:3 – I knew that I would perish unless I changed my ways, i.e. repentance.
Matthew 10:32 – I wanted to confess my LORD.
Acts 22:16 – I realized I had to be immersed in water to have my sins removed.
I hope you are a goal setter. I hope you have a goal of spending eternity in heaven. I look forward to that goal becoming a reality. But I hope the LORD lets me have time to reach my running goal.