The Three-Legged Race

DateLine (6/14/06 – Nanuet, NY)

What a spectacle, people sprawled on the ground struggling to regain their upright posture, people stopped in their tracks arguing about how to proceed, persons giving up after taking only a few strides, and mismatched persons struggling against each other only to fall further behind. What am I talking about? A competition that used to be a staple of church picnics, July 4th celebrations or Sadie Hawkins day; the three-legged race. For the uninitiated the three-legged race consisted of two people who would voluntarily lash their adjacent legs together and attempt to race to the finish line as one contestant (i.e. participant 1’s right leg lashed to participant 2’s left leg.) The winner of the race was often quite surprising. Now let’s look at a some scenarios.

Take the church that is totally ineffective because members spend more time quarreling than ministering. How about the church that is consumed by politics as members vie for positions of authority and influence as compared to positions of humility and service? Consider the church that is so preoccupied with the methods of management that they cannot get past bylaws, procedures, and committees. Don’t forget the church that is so bound by tradition that many with a vision for the future are so constrained that they give up in despair. Or finally observe the church that stopped in its tracks trying to develop the ultimate strategy, all the while, the world literally goes “to hell in a hand basket” as they plan.

How about a marriage where there is a constant struggle for control? Have you witnessed marriages that no longer work because one of the partners gave up, in effect rendering the union dysfunctional? How about the marriage that is stuck in a rut because there is no communication. Consider the out-of-balance marriage where one partner is “paddling” as fast as possible while the other partner “lags behind;” effectively undermining the accomplishments of the marriage.

I’m proposing that we resurrect the three-legged race as a staple of church functions. In fact I’m proposing that this event should be included as a part of pre-marriage counseling. Yes you heard me right, pre-marriage counseling. The value of this event is to teach the principles of teamwork; communication, cooperation, coordination, consistency, and commitment. Whether we’re talking church membership or marriage we voluntarily lash ourselves together for the purpose of achieving an objective, to win the race or at least to do our best to finish the race. We must apply all the elements of teamwork to have a chance for success. It typically never was not the most athletic couple but the more cooperative couple that won the three-legged race.

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Acts 20:24

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Cor. 9:24

The “three legged race;” a great laboratory for teaching teamwork. Without teamwork we will not finish the race. We voluntarily lash ourselves to our brothers and sisters in Christ and our marriage partners. Never give up, don’t race ahead, keep on talking, keep on listening, stay in sync, respect your partners. Run the race to win.