Picture by Caprice
Miller
“Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so
easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before
us.” – Hebrews 12:1
I don’t know about you, but when
I see advertisements about races such as the one above my first thought is
usually NOT “Hey, I want to do that!”
Typically it’s more like “Note to self, avoid that area on that day.” But then I see pictures of the participants
and the crowds cheering them on as I watch the news and I feel a little tug
inside that seems to say “Aaawww, they look like they had fun. I could have done that.” But alas, I’ve missed the opportunity and
continue on with my normal, everyday routine.
Although, now I have a twinge of inspiration that has been lit inside so
in the back of my mind I make another note – “Note to self, find out when the
next one will be.” Who knows if I will
actually sign up. But I’m encouraged by
Caprice’s comments of her own experience:
“In the 5K ... well... I didn't come in last.” – Caprice
Miller
But at least she was IN the race. Way to go, Caprice! So many times we don’t even attempt these
types of challenges because of the thought that if we can’t win, then why
try? We forget that it isn’t about the
win, it’s about the journey and the experience of being a part of it. The ability to declare, “I was there! I ran that race and I’m here to tell you
about it!”
This is the same declaration we
can have as we run the race in the verse mentioned above. God has given us this life for a reason. Many of us search endlessly for what that
reason is. Much of that search though
consists of comparing ourselves to everyone else and what they are doing. There
is a race that each of us has been designed to run. But we
sometimes get stuck in the comparison game and tell ourselves that if we can’t
run the race like someone else, then we just won’t run at all. As a result, we never get off the couch of
life so that we can step in to that race God has marked out for us. We miss the cheers of the crowd encouraging us
and giving us inspiration as we run our race.
We also miss the opportunity to witness life change as we influence
others to begin the race God has for them.
The excuses for not being in the
race are endless. We don’t like to talk
about our race – it’s private. We think
we aren’t needed – there are already others doing it. We think we might do it wrong. In other words, we let fear stop us before we
even get on the track. Could this be the
day that we stop comparing ourselves to others and stop allowing fear to
dictate our lives? This is what the
Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a
spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Could this be the
day that we get off the couch we’ve molded ourselves into and begin the race
designed for us? God has provided us
with exactly what we need to run that race. He has also provided that crowd to cheer us on
and encourage us. They are already
running the race or have even completed their race in life. And as we run our race for Him, it will be
the inspiration someone else needs to begin their race.
That’s really what this race is
all about. Letting others know what God
has done for us and about the relationship we have with Him. Letting them know that they can experience
that relationship too and begin their own race.
The life change we will experience in our own lives and witness in the
lives of others will be just the adrenalin rush we need to continue on in our
race. And when you look back on it all
you too can declare, “I was there! I ran
that race and I’m here to tell you about it!”
