Dick Hoyt, well known for running races, including marathons, while pushing his son in a specially built running chair, has raced only once by himself, clocking 2:59 in a marathon in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was the only time he had ever run without his son Rick, and his heart really wasn’t in it. He says he is not especially interested in discovering what he can do alone.

“When I start pushing Ricky, I get this feeling,” Hoyt said. “I go all out. I get up more for Rick. I want to pass people. I want to beat them. When I get behind that chair, it helps me.”

“I don’t know if I could go as fast by myself. I don’t have the desire to do it without him. Maybe someday it will happen, but I’d rather be out there doing it with Rick.”

Those words, expressing how Dick never wanted to run without his son, are very powerful words. Is there a spiritual application for us as Christians? Dick Hoyt did want to run a race without father and son being together. A Christian’s life is often compared to a race. I Corinthians 9:27; II Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 12:1-2. We need to always possess the attitude that says, “Without God, my heart’s not in it. I’m not interested in finding out what I can do alone, without my Father. I don’t have the desire to live life without God.”