As races go, the Must Dash 5K wasn’t much to write home about. But this one was less about time and more about sharing the experience with a special kid in my life. He did the 1-mile fun run–his first race!
To commemorate the experience, I gave him my 5K medal, and something happened that I’ll never forget….
I ran off to change clothes and when I came back, he had tucked the medal away, out of sight. He felt uncomfortable when others congratulated him because he hadn’t earned it himself. I was struck by his sense of honor and not wanting to take credit for the achievement. Wow! This 10-year-old has more integrity than a lot of grown men.
And then another realization hit me: My giving him the medal is like Jesus giving us His right-standing with God and the reward He earned at the cross. We haven’t earned it, but the One who did has the right to say, “Here. This is mine, and I want YOU to have it.” Our appropriate response is to receive the gift with appreciation, honor the One who generously gave something we couldn’t earn, and know that we are loved.