Lads to Leaders 2026 | Mass Media Entry

I started track & field in 6th grade and I have grown to love the sport. Not for one particular reason, but multiple reasons such as the practices, the team, the meets, and especially, to me, the competitiveness. One inspiring word of advice that my coach has told my team is that there are people out there who wish they could run or even just move their legs, making the point that we do not have to run these workouts, we get to run these workouts and we should be grateful for that every time we run. 

I have learned a lot throughout my years of running track, from coaches, teammates, and even my competitors. They have taught me that every race is not won in a day. Instead, races are won by practicing on days that are below freezing, the days when my legs are sore, or when I just don’t want to. Those wins are proof of the work that I did on those hard days.

This reminds me of James 2:17-18 which says “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” The reason that I am reminded of it is because the only way that our faith is any good towards God is when we demonstrate faith through our works. This relates to track because, if I were to go to state without practicing at all, do you think I would win my race, or even do mildly good? Not at all. That is the same thing, if I say that I have faith but I have no proof, then who’s to say that I have that faith. If I were to do all these works but not believe in what I am working towards then what is the true reason behind those works, nothing. 

We see in Ephesians 2:8 it says “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” This is saying that God has done the work to save us and it was not our works, it was through our faith and his grace. Paul goes on to say in that passage that we are created for good works meaning our works are a result of our faith and salvation. 

In conclusion, our faith and works cannot work by themselves to get us to God, but our works are a demonstration of our faith.