The year was 1983. In Australia, the long-distance foot race from Sydney to Melbourne was about to begin, covering 875 kilometers – more than 500 miles!
About 150 world-class athletes had entered, for what was planned as a six-day event.
Race officials were startled when a 61-year-old man approached and handed them his entry form. His name was Cliff Young, and his “racing attire” included overalls and galoshes over his work boots.
At first, they refused to let him enter. So he explained that he’d grown up on a 2,000-acre farm, with thousands of sheep. His family could afford neither horses nor tractors so, when the storms came, his job was to round up the sheep. Sometimes, he said, it would take two or three days of running.
Finally, they let Cliff enter, and the race began.
The others quickly left him way behind, shuffling along in his galoshes. But he didn’t know the plan included stopping each night to rest, so he kept going.
By the fifth day, he had caught them all, won the race, and became a national hero.
He continued to compete in long-distance races until well up in his seventies. He was an inspiration to millions and a great encourager of younger runners.
In his honor and memory, in 2004, the year after his death at age 81, the organizers of the race where he first gained fame permanently changed its name to the Cliff Young Australian Six Day Race.
What was the key to Cliff Young’s success? It goes by various names: determination, perseverance, persistence, tenacity.
It means keeping one’s eye fixed steadfastly on a goal, and not stopping, no matter the difficulties or the obstacles, until that goal is achieved.
I know the kind of people who have what it takes to go the distance. On May 16, 2000 visionary leaders initiated a journey of relocation that we knew would be a marathon, not a sprint.
On July 16, 2006 we moved into our new facility.
For the past nine years we continued that journey in place. We have seen over 2350 people “come as they are” and become a part of our church family. People are growing in their faith in Jesus Christ.
As we approach our 9th anniversary on July 16, 2015, I am thankful for every believer who kept putting one foot in front of the other;
working “through the night;”
watching God turn setbacks into comebacks;
beating the odds;
persistent, persevering, overcoming.
And our best days in this journey together are still ahead of us!
APPLICATION: Stay tuned…North Pointe’s 100th Anniversary of ministry comes up on October 1, 2017.
