Better Late than Never?

We have all heard the expression “better late than never.”  But is it a motto we can live by?  I recently ran across this article that left me wondering:

Shizo Kanakuri disappeared while running the marathon in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. He was listed as a missing person in Sweden for 50 years — until a journalist found him living placidly in southern Japan.

Overcome with heat during the race, he had stopped at a garden party to drink orange juice, stayed for an hour, then took a train to a hotel and sailed home the next day, too ashamed to tell anyone he was leaving.

There’s a happy ending: In 1966 Kanakuri accepted an invitation to return to Stockholm and complete his run. His final time was 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds — surely a record that will never be broken.

Better Late … | Futility Closet. Posted by Greg Ross on May 8th, 2009

For more information, you may also visit: http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/05/14/runner-swedish-marathon-japan-detour/.

I think we can all agree that Mr. Kanakuri redefines our definition of “late.”  As a member of Japan’s first Olympic team, he reliquished his commitment to his country, his team,  and himself to disappear from sight in shame.

I wonder how man times he thought about this race over the next 50+ years.  How many times he wished he’d done things differently.  He might have wished he had trained harder, been more prepared, pushed himself less early on, taken breaks more frequently, pressed on to the goal despite his exhaustion, iterrupted conversation at the garden party to get back to the race, or simply had the guts to see it through regardless of his time.  Obviously, he had regrets or he never would have accepted the invitation to come back and finish the marathon.

But, it wasn’t that he simply regretted his inadequacy.  During his hiatus from this particular race, he finished other marathons, proving his ability.  It also wasn’t that he regretted wasting his chance to participate in the Olympics.  He appeared at both the 1920 and 1924 Olympics, despite the fact that Swedish officials still had him listed as missing.  It must have been that he regretted forfeiting his commitment in this specific circumstance at this specific time and place – a circumstance that, once gone, could never be reclaimed in the same way, even with Sweden’s generous offer many years later.

Isn’t that true of all of us?  Each new circumstance we face, each new experience we encounter, we have a once in a lifetime chance to be true to our commitments or turn away in shame.  Once that situation has passed, it is impossible to recapture and relive it.  We move from moment to moment faced again and again with new chances to prove ourselves true to our commitments – our commitments to our family, our organizations, our co-laborers, our friends, our government, our values, our decisions, our fellow man, and the list goes on.  We can either seize that moment and live faithfully or turn our face the other way.

As Christians, or “Christ-followers,” we also have implied commitments in addition to the responsibilities we’ve outwardly agreed to.  We are committed to:

• Love God above all else, putting His Son first in everything.
• Always treat others lovingly, placing their needs above my own.
• Accept each person as an image-bearer of God, not judging or criticizing them.
• Forgive others for the wrongs they do against me, regardless of whether they apologize or receive due consequences.
• Reconcile differences immediately, leading the way as an example, even if I’m not the one in the wrong.
• Sacrifice my right to control, condemn, retaliate, reject,  or self-promote.
• Actively work towards spreading the truth of God at the expense of my pride, social status, comfort, calendar, and pocket book.

Those are some hefty commitments; and it’s not even an exhaustive list.  The moment I say I choose Christ, I am also choosing His way of life – ALL of it.  I can not get around my commitment to these things.  But, the sad truth is, like Mr Kanakuri, I often forfeit my Christian responsibility and head in a different direction.  Whether I am lured away by my own weakness, sucked into the garden parties of life, can’t face what remaining committed will require, or simply indulge in my own selffishness, I all too often trade the dignity of being steadfast for the momentary satisfaction of escape.

Which brings me back to my question: Is it really better to be late, than to have never made the right choice at all?  It seems to be in the case of our truant runner.  True, he didn’t go home with an Olympic medal.  But, 97 years, 24 Olympics, 6 children, and 10 grandchildren later, he holds a record that will stand throughout the ages.  In fact, he is the only one who will likely ever hold such a record.  Although it gave him a different legacy than he may have originally sought, it appears God blessed his efforts anyway.  He’s shared some time in the limelight and died with some peace of mind in 1984.

I think this holds true for us too.  Although moments may pass where we blunder and fail, it is never too late to do the right thing.  Additionally, I wholeheartedly believe our God is the God of second chances.  Redemption is his business.  He is ready and waiting for us to return to the race and will bless the results regardless of our miserable record. As incomprehensible as it seems, He desires my heart turned towards Him more than He desires my gold medals.

So, what unfinished business do you have?  Has there been something left unsaid, a wrong left unforgiven, a sacrifice left unmade?  Whatever the situation and regardless of the time that has passed, I urge you to redeem the race.  Though you can never recapture the moment and the outcome may be less than ideal, I promise you there is blessing in obedience.

If you have your own “marathon” that you went back to complete, please share it with us here.  How did it turn out?  Your stories are an encouragment to all who pass this way.

Copyrighted May 2009