The Big Citgo Sign

There's something about having the end in sight that helps us as people carry on a little longer and work a little harder than we could if we couldn't see the finish line. I think this is true in things like running, where almost without fail runners who have struggled along the way and may be walking will quicken their pace when the finish line comes in to view. I also believe this is true in a more general sense when we take part in big activities in life.

Christ In Youth Summer Conference is a major undertaking. Pulling off 21 events in an 8 week period on 13 sites with 20,000+ people takes a tremendous amount of work. The work starts months, really more than a year before the first truck unloads. The work only intensifies until finally the final event comes to an end, gets loaded out and the staff returns home.

We're on the cusp of the final event ending today. Illinois 3 ended last night, which leaves only Oregon to finish tonight. There is still work to do, trucks to unload, shirts to count, equipment to put away, etc., but once the final song is sung and the lights go out, the finish line is in sight.

I remember something I was told when I went to Boston several years ago for the marathon. A veteran runner told me that if you could make it to the Citgo sign you were home. At the time I had no idea what that meant, but (and if you ever watch a Red Sox game at Fenway on TV you'll see this sign out beyond the wall in left Center) there is literally a huge Citgo sign sitting near one part of the course that is located near the finish line (close enough anyway) that you can see from miles away (like 6 or 8 on a clear day). This runner knew something that I would soon learn. In a race like that, you need a point to navigate to, a reference point for a goal you can't yet see. He knew that by the time I hit "the wall" around mile 21 I'd be able to see the Citgo sign and it could serve as a reference point to help me mentally get through the last 5 miles. The tough thing with most marathon courses is that you can't visually see the finish line until you're within about half a mile (or often less) of it. In this case, I could see where I was going much further out and that was a real motivator at a critical point in the race.

Life isn't always so simple as marathon running (if only it were!). But I do believe that at times God provides reference points and markers to help us keep moving when we're tired and ready to quit. The ultimate reference point and motivator is the return of Christ and our "promotion" to Heaven. In a little different context, the writer of Hebrews instructed readers, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb. 10:25)"

Whether you are in the midst of a challenging, defined period of labor or find yourself struggling for motivation in the mundane day-to-day of life be encouraged to know that in Christ "the Day" is approaching. We don't know when that will be, but we can look for reference points along the way that God provides for us.

To those who are still laboring to bring Summer Conference 2007 to a successful conclusion: hang in there, the end is near at hand and there is rest (and Gatorade) just days away.