Cliff Young, an Australian potato farmer and shepherd had never competed when he signed up for the Sydney to Melbourne Ultra-marathon in 1983.
At the age of sixty-one, Cliff ran a 544-mile race—and won! What made Cliff Young’s story even more extraordinary was that he showed up to the race without professional gear and even beat the second-place runner by ten hours! How could an old guy like Cliff, with no experience or quality sneakers, perform such an impossible feat? While others slept, he kept on going.”
At the age of sixty-one, Cliff ran the 544-mile race—and won! What made Cliff Young’s story even more extraordinary was that he showed up to the race without professional gear and even beat the second-place runner by ten hours! How could an old guy like Cliff, with no experience or quality sneakers, perform such an impossible feat? While others slept, he kept on going.
Accustomed to herding two thousand sheep on his family’s farm for days at a time, Cliff stayed on his feet and refused to give up. Sometimes, life can feel like an ultra-marathon as we press on through careers, raising kids, grandkids, and a few eyebrows along the way. If we have the perseverance and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Christ, we can overcome every challenge, obstacle, and treacherous mile. This was John’s encouragement in his first epistle. We can have confidence, faithfulness, and renewed strength as we run our race accompanied by our raveling
companion, Jesus.
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