Running the race: How you can finish well

Many assume that retirement is all about ticking off the bucket list of life’s great experiences. But for Christians, deep joy in our golden years is found elsewhere, says Dr John Wyatt

The Danish theologian Søren Kierkegaard once wrote: “Life can only be understood backwards; but must be lived forwards.” 

I recently celebrated my 70th birthday and I’ve been doing some reflection on my journey so far. The biblical metaphor of the long-distance race makes more sense to me now than it used to. 

I can’t fail to recognise that I’m well over the halfway stage of life and those final laps are coming into view. I’ve never actually run a marathon, but I know that every serious runner needs to plan ahead for the final stages of  the race. How are they going to survive when they hit the wall? How are they going to keep their energy reserves topped up all the way to the finishing line?