“Run the Race To Win”

“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Many scriptures, like the verses found in Hebrews 12, compare our journey as Christians to running a race. I used to be a distance runner in high school. I didn’t join the track team until my senior year when my best friend challenged me to join her in trying something new. I ran the 880, 2-mile relay and mile. I recall one of my teammates joking me that I ran so slow and long that “they called the track meet on account of darkness.” (That still cracks me up today!) You see, I wasn’t very good but I never quit. This endurance running came in handy when I joined the military! I needed to be able to run the long race and not quit. I needed to be able to run no matter which way the race twisted and turned. I needed to run with confidence and certainty (1 Corinthians 9:26). No matter the path, the key is in the mindset.

 

“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)

 

The race that is set before us may be easy at times, and we can become so accustomed to that, yet we have to be able to endure things when they become difficult and tough.

We must know that God is our strength and our power. As Philippians 4:13 reminds us, “I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.” In the same vein, God strengthens us and makes us be able to handle whatever path is set before us. We must claim this truth for ourselves!

 

“God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places.” (2 Samuel 22:33-34)

 

Today, we are rounding the curve of a prolonged state of turmoil peppered with tornadoes, a pandemic, and ongoing civil unrest. Rounding that curve in any race is when my old track coach used to teach me to look out for that “monkey”! The first time I ran, I figured out right away what he was talking about! That burning in my throat and chest, and that stitch in my side as I struggled to get through the warmup lap, was undeniable! My coach not only warned me, but he also taught me how not to let that “monkey” jump on my back and weigh me down or make me quit. The first thing was to make up my mind not to give in to it. The second thing was to push through it so that I would improve in endurance. The third thing was to pace myself. These three things didn’t make the race itself easy, but they did make the running easier afterwhile.

 

In the home stretch of any race, runners might get a fresh burst of energy, otherwise known as a second wind. For us as Christians, we believe God gives us this second wind. Scripture promises tell us “he will renew our strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Whenever the race becomes difficult, and it will, remember how to deal with the “monkey.” Remember to throw off any weights like the writer of Hebrews said in chapter 12, pace yourself, and look to catch your second wind!

 

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24)

 

With all of this in mind, be encouraged today as you run your race, and run it to win!!!


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