My wife and I watched as Danny, our youngest son, competed in the Carnival of Champions back when he was in elementary school. He was entered in the half-mile race. It was two laps around the track.
When the starting gun sounded, he quickly leapt ahead of everyone and built a sizable lead. He had never run the half-mile before. By the time he completed the first lap, he was already a half of a lap ahead of the other runners. I kept watching and hoping that he could keep it up. I had never seen him run like that before.
When Danny was about half way around the final lap, I noticed that he was slowing down considerably. I knew that if he could just see the finish line, he would finish well. He just needed to get around the final curve.
The other runners were steadily gaining on him. When Danny only had about 110 yards to go, one of the runners caught him. At that point, Danny could have looked forward and seen the finish line. It was within reach. But he only saw the other runner that was passing him. He never got the extra shot of adrenaline he needed to win the race.
Sometimes we take our eyes off the goal at the very moment we need it most. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus so we can finish well.