Philippians 3:12-16

Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained." Philippians 3:12-16 NIV

This earthly life can be so very hard at times. More days than we care to count are filled with heartache, stress, pressure, and pain. Some are blessed with fewer days like this than others, but they are still there in some shape or form for each and every person.

While in college, I worked during summer breaks for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. My job was as a registrar for their summer camps, so I was able to attend about 4 camps each summer. During one of these summers, the theme for the camps was "Press On" and this set of scriptures were used. The verse the theme focused on was "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." The analogy used was the comparison of the work and effort that goes into winning a race compared to the struggles we face in life as we press on toward the rewards awaiting us in heaven.

While I would always like to think our earthly life is only full of happy days, the reality is that it is not. Some days we must fight and struggle just to make it through the day. We do this in much the same way an athlete must fight and struggle to get to the finish line at the end of a long race.

I love the thought that heaven is our finish line. After all we experience here on earth, we have the assurance that if we accept Christ, our finish line will be heaven. How worthwhile the daily struggles are when we know we have heaven as the reward!