A Greek philosopher named Zeno lived almost 500 years before Christ. He is known for coming up with philosophical problems known as Zeno’s paradoxes. One of them has been stated this way: That which is in locomotion must arrive at the half-way stage before it arrives at the goal.

In other words, if I was to ask you to walk across the room to me, you would first arrive at the point halfway across the room before you got to me. If you continued from there to cross the room, you would then cover half the distance between that point and me (one fourth of the room).

No matter where you are in your travel across the room there is always a mark that is halfway between where you are and your destination. Thus, Zeno would propose that you could never really arrive at the destination.

You might be saying, “Come on, Zeno, are you serious? I know when I have crossed the room and reached my destination. However, Zeno’s paradox makes perfect sense in light of Philippians 3:12-14.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

In our walk with the Lord, there are an infinite amount of midpoints between where I am and my destination. All we can do in this life is get closer, and then closer, and then closer.

I pray that I cover half the distance that is between me and God’s prize for me at the finish. And when I get there, I’ll strive for half of what is left. And when I get there I have another half to cover. Will you join me? We’re halfway there.

Joel Gay is Pastor of Wilmington Church of the Nazarene.