Finishing the race

Perseverance has been seen in spades this week, not least in the Commonwealth Games. With 20 per cent of England swimmers having suffered from stomach problems, it’s been a tough time for many of them.

But Delhi Belly was not the only problem. Confusion over false starts led to Australian runner Sally Pearson crossing the line first in the 100m final but being disqualified. Despite her disappointment she persevered and came back to an easy win in the heat of the 100m hurdle.

We ‘are created for goodness’, according to Archbishop Desmond Tutu in a trailer for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Aid worker Linda Norgrove demonstrated perseverance in tough circumstances by going to work in Afghanistan having previously worked in Mexico, Uganda, Peru and Laos. In September she was kidnapped by extremists with links to al-Qaeda. Sadly, it seemed that they didn’t recognise goodness and she was killed moments before being rescued.

In Chile, however, perseverance has paid off. The miners, who have been trapped since 5 August, are on the point of release now that the rescue drill has broken through to their chamber. I wonder how significant their daily prayer meeting has been to their survival?

For preacher-turned-soul-singer Solomon Burke, the end came on Sunday at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. The 70-year-old father of 21 and grandfather of 90, died on an aircraft having just arrived from Los Angeles. He recently told the Telegraph, ‘As long as I have breath to do it, I'll sing, with God's help.’

Whether he realised it or not, Burke was following in Paul’s footsteps. For Paul, perseverance was a challenge but he recognised that ultimately it was only possible because of God’s help (2 Timothy 4:7,8,17). How much do we recognise God at work in surprising situations with possibly unlikely people?

Emlyn Williams