奔跑賽程

Two hours, five minutes, and ten seconds: the time it took Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru to finish first in the 26.2-mile (42 km 195 m) London Marathon in April 2009.

Thirteen days: The time it took Major Phil Packer, a British soldier who became a paraplegic following a spinal injury, to complete the same marathon, finishing last out of 36,000 competitors. This feat of perseverance raised over £600,000 (about US$1 million) for charity.

Wanjiru made the headlines for his speed. Packer made headlines not for speed, but for his courage and determination. A thousand-strong crowd gathered to welcome him at the end of a race that he had defied odds to enter, let alone complete. Following his injury a year earlier, he had been told he would never walk again. In fact, he only relearned to walk with crutches a month before the marathon.

While both men are respected for their accomplishments, there was something special about Packer’s triumph. He was never alone during the exhausting and painful six hours it took him to walk two miles each day. Well-wishers—both friends and strangers—accompanied him on the course, walking beside him and cheering him on, from the starting gate to the finishing line. Congratulatory messages on his website include a message of admiration from Prince Charles.

​The road of life is not always easy, and sometimes we face what appear to be impossible obstacles. But we don’t walk it alone. We also have well-wishers—our family and friends—encouraging us along the way. And we too have a Prince supporting us—not one from this realm, but Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who promises to help us rise above circumstances, persist against the odds, and triumph over difficulty: “My grace is sufficient for you,” He tells us, “for My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). So “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

​兩小時五分十秒︰這是肯亞選手塞繆爾•瓦尼魯，在2009年4月倫敦26.2英里（42公里195公尺）馬拉松比賽中，首先抵達終點的成績。

十三天︰這是因脊柱受傷而下身麻痺的英國士兵菲爾•帕克少校，完成同一次馬拉松所用的時間。在三萬六千名參賽者中，他最後到達終點。此堅忍不拔的壯舉，為慈善工作籌募了六十多萬英鎊（約一百萬美元）的資金。

瓦尼魯因其速度上了頭條新聞。帕克成為頭條新聞，原因不在其速度，而是他的勇氣和毅力。上千群眾聚集在比賽終點歡迎他，恭賀他排除萬難，參加比賽，甚至跑完了全程。一年前，在他受傷後，醫生斷言，他再也無法走路。事實上，僅在馬拉松比賽前一個月，他才學會靠著拐杖再次行走。

儘管他們兩人都因其成績而受到敬仰，但派克的勝利不同尋常。他每天要用六小時走完痛苦而又令人精疲力竭的兩英里賽程，然而，他從來沒有孤單。祝福者——朋友和陌生人，一起陪伴著他，與他同行，鼓勵他，從起點直到終點。在他網站的賀電中，也包括來自查理斯王子表達欽佩的訊息。

生命的道路並非總是一帆風順，有時我們會面臨似乎無法跨越的障礙。但我們並非單獨行走。我們也有祝福者——我們的家人和朋友們，一路上鼓勵我們。我們也有一位「王子」的支持，祂並不是屬這個世界的王子，祂乃是「和平之君」耶穌。祂承諾會幫助我們超越環境、排除萬難、堅持不懈、戰勝困難。祂告訴我們說：「我的恩典夠你用的，因為我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全。」(哥林多後書12:9)  因此，「讓我們存心忍耐，奔那擺在我們前頭的路程，仰望為我們信心創始成終的耶穌。」(希伯來書12:1-2)

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Story courtesy of Activated magazine. Used by permission.
​Image credits: Image of Samuel Wanjiru courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Image of Major Phil Packer from www.abc.net.au; used under Fair Use guidelines.