Are
you running? Should we run?
Running. The word is used
for a variety of things such as—running a race, a cash register, or an errand.
You might be running a household or a company, the classroom, or a meeting.
Running the flag up the pole. We run to the store. Back in the day, women ran
their stockings, which was a bad thing.
You could be running for
office or running out of gas. What if you’re running something into the ground?
Or running someone down with your words? Running the ponies. Running on empty
or running at the mouth or running in place. Running up a tab or a bill.
Most of these if not all
of them, create a picture in our minds. If I say, running away, you might
picture a child with a knapsack tied on a pole over his shoulder or a teen with
only the clothes on their back, a phone in their pocket, and trying to hitch a
ride out of town.
Can you think of any
other ways to be running?
Let’s take a close look
at one of these—running the race. Which kind of race? Car, train, bicycle? Foot
race? The meter? A hundred-yard dash? Running hurdles, running a 5k, or 10k, or
a half-marathon. What about running a marathon, or triathlon? The choices are
wide and the skill can be intense.
Running most races is not
for the faint of heart. You train. You use the right shoes and athletic wear.
It’s difficult, it makes you sweat. It’s not only physical but mental. Your
mind has to be in the game of running.
The seasoned runner wears
the lightest clothing and footwear. The runner’s body and mind are toned,
trained, and conditioned. Wearing boots and a heavy coat is not for the runner
of a race. Those things need to be stripped off.
“Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud 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”
(Hebrews12:1 nlt).
This verse tells us we
are running in a race and we have witnesses in heaven and those angelic beings
we cannot see. The Lord—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are fully aware of what we
are doing. We need to lighten our load of doubt, bitterness, an unforgiving
spirit, past trials and sin, etc., and current sin that trips us up. Then we
need to keep going, one foot in front of the other.
The apostle Paul is an
amazing example of one who ran his race well. He understood that the Christian
life is a race. We set the pace to finish well. There will be times you sprint
and others when you are slow but the key is to continue. “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize
for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us” (Philippians 3:14 nlt). Christ Jesus has called us to run
this race of life with Him in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit will give you
the tools you need to stay on the course and keep running. Jesus Christ is the
ultimate example of running a perfect race. God the Father was well pleased
with His Son.
“I
have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and have remained
faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7 nlt).
Paul knew that the race could be difficult. His life proved it. But he knew
what the result was, the prize of eternity in heaven with our Savior.
Don’t let the trials of
life get you sidetracked and off into the weeds. Stay on course. Stay on the
track God has set for you. Be the runner who runs well and finishes well.