In the grand track of life, everyone is running. Some are sprinting toward financial success, others are racing for social recognition, and many are simply running to keep up with the crowd. From the outside, the competition looks simple; the faster you go, the more you win.
But as one of my favorite speakers, Eric Gugua, puts it with a profound illustration, this race has a hidden condition. You are not just running for yourself; you are running while carrying a burning candle. The victory at the finish line is not awarded to the fastest runner, but to the runner who arrives with their flame still burning. And so, we must realize that our pace is irrelevant if our purpose is extinguished. We are accountable for the fire we carry.
The Stewardship of the Flame
And so the big question here is, what is the flame? It is your internal world, your integrity, your relationship with the Creator, your moral compass, and your unique purpose. It is the “why” behind the “what.” In the rush to achieve the “what,” like the house, the title, the followers, it is incredibly easy to let the “why” die out. We become so focused on moving our feet that we forget to cup our hands around our souls.
Stewardship means recognizing that the flame is not yours to waste; it was entrusted to you. If you finish the race with a cold, dark aura, it does not matter if you broke every speed record on the books, because you have failed the primary mission.
One of the most seemingly painful parts of the race is watching others zoom past you. In the digital age, we see competitors who seem to have it all; they are younger, richer, and more famous, and they seem to be moving with zero effort. But again, Eric Gugua points out a critical psychological truth: You can not see their hands.
Most people in the race of life are running with their hands tightly covered. They look like they are protecting a flame, but in reality, they are hiding the fact that their fire went out miles ago. They are running on the momentum of ego, performing for a crowd, and pretending to have a purpose that no longer exists, and so:
- Do not envy the fast runner whose values have been traded for velocity.
- Do not compare your careful pace to someone who is running without light and in total darkness.
Be intentional about excellence, and like my blog Value Faith with the tag “Do Better, Be Better” I am inviting you to accept that the standard demands that you prioritize the light over the look. It is better to move slowly and keep your fire than to run at lightspeed with a dead heart.
The Wind: The Enemies of Your Fire
The “wind” represents the pressures of the world that seek to extinguish your light. And so, if you are not careful, the very speed of your life will become the wind that blows out your flame.
The Wind of Compromise: “Just this once,” “Everyone else is doing it,” or “It is just business.” These small thoughts will eventually chill your heart, or worse, make it ice cold. The Wind of Comparison: Looking at the “covered hands” of others makes you feel inadequate, causing you to run faster than your character can handle.
The Wind of Neglect: Forgetting to refuel through study, prayer, and reflection. Even the brightest flame needs oil.
And so be accountable for your fire, you must be willing to slow down when the wind gets too strong. You must be willing to stop running entirely if it means keeping your candle still burning.
We often think the reward is all for the journey, but again, as Eric Gugua tells us, the reward is for the result. When you cross the finish line, the end of a project, the end of a career, or the end of your life, the Great Examiner will not ask for your lap times. He will not check your trophies or your social media mentions. He will look at your hand.
He is looking for the glow. If you have kept your fire burning through the storms of betrayal, the heat of the forge, as I talked about in the article I recently just wrote, yesterday, but published today, Divine Blacksmith. And if you have kept your fire burning, you have succeeded.
The accountability of a life on fire is the realization that you are a carrier of light in a dark world.
14 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
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Conclusion
Stop looking at the runners in the other lanes. They may be faster, but you do not know if they are empty-handed. Your job is not to beat them; your job is to: Keep your light! Protect your purpose! Guard your integrity! Shield your peace! If you have to walk to keep the flame alive, then walk! If you have to crawl, then crawl! Just make sure that when you reach the end, you are still on fire!
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.
27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV
The race is temporary. The flame is eternal. Run accordingly.
