I have fought the fight I have finished the race
I have kept the faith
I have fought the good fight I have finished the race
I have kept the faith.
These are the first words I thought of when I saw the word endure. It’s another Five minute Friday word prompt from Miss Kate. Endure the burden, fight the good fight.
Endure the burden
What does it means you know, to fight the good fight and to finish the race? To finish a race means you’ve stuck it out, you have endured to the end.
Today the heat
got the best of one of my does.
Despite all I could do
and all that I tried,
the heat she couldn’t survive.
Should I let her suffer
To endure pain?
Or should I let her suffering end.
Should I endure the burden
Of being one who cares for animals?
I chose to take up that burder
Some 15 years back.
Most of the time,
It brings immense joy.
But occasionally, the burden
Is indeed a burden.
The ending of life
is one that must be taken up.
When you know that the one
suffering will not recover.
This doe was one born
with a mindset to fear.
Handling her caused
unmeasured stress.
Caring for her, trying to help her
Probably caused her illness to advance.
She never took to it well.
She was not one that I would call
Born to a life of endurance.
Hers was to avoid and hide away,
despite continued kindness.
Makes me think of
The people around
How some endure, ever so well.
and yet others, the slightest pressure,
causes them to wilt away.
Yet all of us, I suppose,
In our own way endure.
Sticking to what we know
Striving somehow, to make a difference,
To somehow matter.
For those of us who have faith
in the one true living God.
The call of Paul encourages us,
Despite our frailties,
to Endure.
To fight the fight,
to finish the race,
to keep the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7 – I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith
Thanks for the encouragement to endure!
x
Amen! Great blog! I am sorry about your poor furry friend. We had to end our kitty’s suffering. In March she was put to sleep. It was heartbreaking but God helps us to endure the hardest of times.
Terri D
#6 FMF
He is so good that way isn’t he?
beautiful words of endurance. this verse is the one that came to mind the day my dad moved to heaven. fighting the good fight well certainly takes endurance. thank you for this reminder.
mariel
fmf#9
You are most welcome. 🙂
Annette, I’m so sorry for your loss.
Your words (and Paul’s) set me musing…
It seems my race is done and past
(I wonder where time went?),
and perusing the looking-glass,
I see that I am spent.
I hope that there is sparkle yet
in my hooded eyes
that might, for others, still beget
restorative surprise.
But it is not that which I see;
there only is the shade
looks inward to the mystery,
and I am not afraid.
I soon shall set this burden down,
and kneel to take my laurel-won crown.
Don’t be afraid Andrew… only glory awaits.. and that is a goodly thing! 🙂
The picture you used reminds me of a picture I took of my son about two years ago. He was in 5th grade, running a race at school. The image shows him just steps behind the finish line, looking down toward the finish line. Because the sun was behind them, the shadow of the person behind him was under his feet. When I asked him about it after the race, he told me “I saw his shadow, and I knew he was close.” His training was to keep his head down and push forward until he saw the finish line pass under his feet. Without knowing it, my eleven year old had made a profound statement. We too are being chased be forces that want to rob us of our victory, but we need to keep our head down until we cross the finish line.
Oh, I liked that story! Thanks for sharing it. But yes, we need to Keep our heads down and do what we came to do.
Amen. Sorry about your doe. You certainly sound like you have a menagerie. – fmf #16
I have a good mix. It’s good to keep busy you know?
Beautiful poem, but I’m sorry about your doe. That must have been a hard choice.
thank you. It was. Sometimes hard choices have to be made… doesn’t make them any easier.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I know your rabbits are dear to you and you do not make decisions lightly.
some decisions are just hard to put together you know? you need to do what’s right in the end.