Build up others in The Lord

Romans 15:2 (NLT)

2 We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.

We all are faced with afflictions, but the weak are more subject to problems. Their weakness may come from a weakness in understanding God’s love and mercy. It may be a physical weakness where one is addicted to a substance they cannot overcome. Therefore those of us who are strong in Christ have the responsibility to do what is right and build up those who are weak. Christ did not seek to please Himself, but instead came to minister to the needs of others just as we should do too!

On December 2, 2012, a Spanish long-distance runner named Ivan Fernandez Anaya was competing in a cross-country race in the Spanish countryside. Anaya was running in second-place, well behind the race leader, the Kenyan runner and Olympic medalist Abel Mutai. As they entered the finishing stretch, Mutai, the certain winner of the race, suddenly stopped running. Apparently, he mistakenly thought he had already crossed the finish line.

A Spanish newspaper reported what happened next: "Fernández Anaya quickly caught up with him, but instead of exploiting Mutai's mistake to speed past and claim an unlikely victory, he stayed behind and, using gestures, guided the Kenyan to the line and let him cross first."

When asked what motivated this kind deed, Anaya said, "He was the rightful winner. He created a gap that I couldn't have closed if he hadn't made a mistake. As soon as I saw he was stopping, I knew I wasn't going to pass him."

Surprisingly, Anaya's coach, the famous Spanish runner Martin Fiz, was disappointed with Anaya's display of sportsmanship. Fiz said, "He has wasted an occasion. Winning always makes you more of an athlete. You have to go out to win."

But Anaya stood by his decision. He told reporters,

Even if they had told me that winning would have earned me a place in the Spanish team for the European championships, I wouldn't have done it either … because today, with the way things are in all circles, in soccer, in society, in politics, where it seems anything goes, a gesture of honesty goes down well. [Carlos Arribas, "Honesty of the long-distance runner," El Pais (In English), (12-19-12)]

There will always be those who don’t stop to think about the needs of others. There are leaders who would say we should win at any cost. However The Lord tells us “we should help others do what is right and build them up.”

Anaya could have faced a moment of victory by taking advantage of his competitor’s mistake, but he would have known the truth that his win would have been based on the fact he did not help a fellow runner.

As Christians we are running the race of life together. Let us never leave behind another, but instead encourage, motivate and show them the right paths of life.