If you've ever committed to a diet, exercise, or ministry plan, you've probably realized that it's much easier to start something than to finish it. At a young age, Gordon MacDonald recognized that he had inherited a "quitter's gene," and because of this and an influential track coach, he began a lifelong quest for answers. "Why," he asked, "do some people finish what they start, persevere in moments of adversity, push themselves in the direction of their potential, and often make their greatest contributions in the latter half of life?" The key element in those who don't quit is resilience. Those who have it, MacDonald insists, have gathered all the lessons from life, both successes and failures, to build a foundation of strength and character. Using examples from the Bible, from his own life, and from the lives of contemporary people, MacDonald identifies the characteristics of resilience and leads you with encouragement through the process needed to develop them.
"It makes little difference how fast you can run the 100 meters when the race is 400 meters long. Life is not a sprint; it is a distance run, and it demands the kind of conditioning that enables people to go the distance."
—Gordon MacDonald
Running Strong
Whose heart doesn’t leap at the sight of a beautifully
conditioned runner, effortlessly gliding along, stride-bystride, mile-by-mile? And what runner gets to this place without a thankless—and often lonely—regimen of strategy and self-denial?
Isn’t this the perfect metaphor of what your heart is longing for—running life’s race with intentionality and grace? With strength and focus?
Well, you can. Veteran pastor and best-selling author Gordon MacDonald says you must develop resilience—the courage and ability to get up when you fall, to keep running when you’re bone-weary, and to keep your eye on the goal even in the murkiest moments. Using the backdrop of his own experiences as a champion runner, MacDonald demonstrates how resilient people
- Practice spiritual self-discipline to build stamina and grit;
- Know what’s up ahead, what obstacles they will likely face; and
- Bond with special friends who share their commitment to finishing well.
Because he has also run many long, punishing laps in the tough race of life, MacDonald is uniquely qualified to coach and encourage you in developing that resilient spirit—to weather adversity, to finish what you start, and to never be satisfied with anything short of God’s best for you.
Gordon MacDonald has been a pastor and author for more than fifty years. He serves as Chancellor at Denver Seminary, as editor-at-large for Leadership Journal, and as a speaker at leadership conferences around the world. His books includeBuilding Below the Waterline, Who Stole My Church, A Resilient Life, and Ordering Your Private World. Gordon and his wife, Gail, live in New Hampshire.
