Remember the tortoise and the hare in Aesop's Fables? The hare boasted that he was the swiftest animal in the forest. When he challenged the others to a race, only the tortoise dared to try. To the hare, it seemed an unfair contest, since he would win easily. But off they started, with the tortoise soon trailing far behind.

On the way, the hare decided there was time for a nap, but the tortoise kept plodding along. When the hare awoke, he couldn't see the tortoise anywhere, so he laughed and said, "He still hasn't caught up with me!" But as he ran toward the finish line, he saw the tortoise crossing it. Slowly and steadily, the tortoise had won!

Like that foolish hare, some believers are "fast movers" whose Christian lives are full of stops and starts. But they often complain that they're getting nowhere fast. The better testimony would be "I'm getting somewhere slowly." This is more realistic, for true learning, growing, and overcoming are gradual experiences.

A philosopher once said that the essential thing in heaven and on earth should be "long obedience in the same direction." Like the apostle Paul, make it your lifelong aim to press on toward your goal in Christ (Phil. 3:14). You'll be the one to win the prize.  — Joanie Yoder