The Race

“...Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance- unnecessary weight- and that sin which so readily clings to us and entangles us and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

We each have a particular race to run, an appointed course that we are expected to traverse, and although our allotted courses are different, we can determine to have quality connections because we are all runners, who have the same final destination!

But how do we run that race? Anyone who really knows me would laugh at the thought of me giving instructions on running! I only know two things about running;
1. I don’t like it even though I know it’s good for me.
2. I don’t do it very well or for very long.

 I start out s-l-o-w on the treadmill, wearing a jacket, leisurely walking, reading a book, along with my dog Bella at my side (she LOVES the treadmill, go figure!) and gradually increase my speed, until I am at a jogging pace (the fastest I ever get to)...but before you know it I am breathing hard, sweating and turning DOWN the speed. Why? Because I’m out of shape and also have distractions and encumbrances that are slowing me down!

Well, what can we do when our race in this life gets so fast that it threatens to overwhelm us? Whenever my treadmill speeds up, there are a few things I do to keep up which also work in finishing the race that Papa has for me, even though my life’s pace is being accelerated.

1. I ditch the book, it is a distraction that I cannot concentrate on while jogging. Running the race requires my full attention. I cannot have my focus fixed on other things and expect to finish the course in a timely manner or maybe to complete it at all.  Papa is calling us to make Him our focal point and to lay aside our distractions. Now distractions may occasionally be acceptable when our pace is slow, but when we determine to run, they must be set aside, because they may trip us up or cause us to lose our way and end up on the wrong course, bringing possible disqualification.

2. I take off the jacket because it is weighing me down. Hebrews 12:1 talks about unnecessary weights, i.e. things we are carrying that we shouldn’t be. When I’m on the treadmill it could be a water bottle, an mp3 player or a jacket. The same can be true in our lives! We may be weighed down with a myriad of things including other’s expectations, personal failures, disappointments, or discouragements. So what can we do? Papa reminds us “let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance.”

Think about it...if you were sprayed by a skunk, what would you do with your clothes? Would you remove them s-l-o-w-l-y, being careful not to wrinkle them, painstakingly hanging them? Of course not! Clothes are hung up when we plan to wear them again and these are bound for the rubbish heap.  We can’t remove them fast enough! We should feel the same about the issues and circumstances of our lives that are weighing us down-unnecessarily. Pitch those things out and don’t look back!

3. I make Bella get off. There is only so much room on my treadmill; and with her there it is just too easy to get tripped up. Is she happy to go? No way! I have to pick her up, carry her outside the room and shut the door. Even then, she howls pitifully on the other side, but I have to remove her if I want to run.

The same holds true for the sin that so easily entangles us-it doesn’t want to go! It may assure us that there is plenty of room, but don’t be deceived; the path we frequent is a narrow one! With Papa’s help we can remove the sinful temptations that we leave lying around our well travelled path!  We can then choose to close the door and ignore its plaintive cries.

Well I usually do these things, but do you know what? I still can’t sprint for very long. Why? Because I have not developed endurance; the more I run consistently, the longer I can consistently run! Practice makes perfect and that goes for this journey of life too. Papa calls us to lay aside the distractions, to pitch the things that weigh us down, and to sever the sin that tries to cling to us and trip us up. After that, then we run and run and then run some more. We are expected to “...run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.” We develop endurance through the running process; it is as we are steady and active in our persistence to run our appointed race that we get better at it : )

You’ve heard of “on the job training” right? Well, we are called to “on the journey training”, where we learn how to run the race, while we are running it! Our course has been set and NOW is the time to lace up our running shoes, set aside our distractions, encumbrances and “just do it”! We can trust our Father to guide and strengthen us, faithfully keeping us as we traverse His lovingly selected path, being confident that our final destination is assured and our ultimate victory is certain. God speed dear runner!