Run The Race Well: Be In It For The Long Run!

Life is a race. In fact, life is marathon. In order for us to be able to finish this long race and finish well, it must be run at a strong, steady pace.

But how often do we try to run life like it is a sprint race…running fast and furious so we can quickly get to the end…only to find that we are exhausted from running hard but still have a lot of race left to run? When this happens we need to change our strategy if we desire to finish well.

I’ve not been running well lately, I have to confess. The way I’ve been running has worn me out. I’ve found myself to be weary, discouraged and wanting to quit…or at least slow down to rest along the side lines while others pass me by, or so it seems. At times I’ve wondered if I’m even on the right track heading to the right finish line! So I have had to reassess my running goals and strategy in order to be able to continue to endure to the end.

Recently, I read about racers who were considered to be winners, people who endured to the end. They finished the race. In Hebrews, chapter 11, which is often referred to as “the Hall of Faith”, we read about amazing, awe-inspiring people such as Noah, Abraham, Sarah, King David, Moses, etc. They were considered to be people of faith because of their enduring trust in their God, the God of their fathers. They endured the long race of life by trusting in God to be who He said He was and do what He said He would do.

We have such a high regard for these brave people, don’t we? In fact, we tend to hold them up on a pedestal. We imagine them to be almost superhuman. But they were not. They were very human, fallible people who imperfectly did what it took to run and finish the marathon that God had put before them. They, too, were distracted. They, too, were slowed down and held back by their wrong choices and insecurities. They, too, lost sight of the finish line at times. But they all finished the race.

The writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 12 that we are called to run the long race, and that we can reach that finish line, if we run wisely and with endurance.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses [Noah, Moses, Abraham, Sarah, etc.] surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:1, 2.

We are encouraged in this passage with several courses of action that will help us to run the long marathon in a successful, winning way.

• We have other runners to observe and learn from who modeled endurance and faith (Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith). What winner motivates and inspires you the most?
• We are to remove every encumbrance. What distracts or hinders you from being a winner? Are you willing to remove those distractions and hindrances from your life in order to be a winner?
• We are to throw aside entangling sins, wrong choices, bad habits that trip us up, slow us down or get our eyes off of the finish line. What keeps tripping you up preventing you from running an enduring, steady race? Are you willing to remove them from your life in order to be a winner?
• We are to run with endurance the race that is set before us. We are not to think of life as a sprint but as a marathon. What mind set do you have for this race? Do you have the mindset of running a marathon, or a sprint?
• We are to fix our eyes on Jesus, who is cheering us on at the finish line. He already ran the race that we are now running. He already endured the burdens and shame that we are enduring. At the end of the race, He received the prize. He experienced victory. He discovered it was worth the struggle and discipline. What better coach for us to have than one who has been where we are? Where are your eyes fixed? On the finish line, Jesus the victor? Or on the other runners, distractions, and burdens of life?

Are you weary from living life like it’s a sprint? Are you ready to change your strategy and be a winner? I am, too! Let’s run this marathon with endurance and without distraction. Let’s run well!

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