I follow athletics more than the average person, I think. I can tell a rising prospect, a declining legend and an unexploited potential.

When I first saw Kiptum run at the London marathon, I knew he was special. It was only his second major marathon, and he was already the second fastest in history. In his first marathon in Valencia some months earlier, he had debuted under 2.02, the third fastest time, which was simply astonishing.

He went on to break the record in Chicago in his 3rd major race, at only 23. Who does that? Most marathoners, like Kipchoge, started on the track and transitioned to marathon in their late 20s.

Kiptum was like, No, I will do it differently. He knew he had it, and no one was going to stop him.

After the London marathon, when he ran 2nd fastest time, and when I became fully aware of him, I wrote on Facebook that…’save for injury or indiscipline, we are looking at the next king of the distance’.

I had covered all possibilities that could hinder his career, but did not account for death.

I did not think that the inevitability of mortality could snatch such a young talent from us.

And I guess that’s how we go about life: we plan our lives, we build our careers, we raise our families, without consciously thinking about and preparing for our eternal destiny.

In a blink of a second, in that moment when he made the transition, when his spirit left his body, it didn’t matter how many records Kiptum broke, how many accolades he collected, how much his name was praised all over the world, how many fans he had — it only mattered whether he had a relationship with Jesus.

I hope he did.

Because there’s nothing more important in this life than knowing Jesus and pursuing a relationship with him. No accolade, no achievement, and no amount of wealth or personal pleasure can beat that.

What will it profit a man, Jesus said, to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Mathew 16:26.

Not that families, careers, education, business, or any other pursuits are wrong, but they are simply idols when we regard, pursue or love them more than we do Christ.

Like Kiptum, we don’t know the time, but we can focus on what we are in control of… and those are the choices we make every day and their input into our eternal destiny. I have found that having an eternal perspective helps me live more purposefully here on earth, but that’s a topic for another day.

Jesus is inviting you to know Him and walk with Him. He stands at the door and knocks. Will you respond to him?