“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
In my mind, this verse conjures up a marathon runner with the cheering crowds. I am not a runner, but my husband George and I are avid hikers. For one epic trek we trained for months, meeting with a trainer, doing countless lunges, enduring sprints and weightlifting for hours (or at least it seemed like it!). Our training proved effective, but it required consistency, perseverance and frequent attitude adjustments (I hate lunges!). It was a grueling but glorious success, and we celebrated our once-in-a-lifetime trek. Last summer, we had another amazing mountain experience. I trained less and was less successful… and admittedly more fearful.
Now, translate this physical regimen to our spiritual life.
- What practices or training am I willing to engage to run well this marathon of life?
- Are we part of the statistics of church goers that don’t open their Bibles between Sundays?
- Are we without Christian community?
- Or are we just plain apathetic with our “training”?
I’m the first to admit that attitudes, and maybe schedules and daily habits (social media?), must change so that we can "throw off everything that hinders." Just as we need time and commitment to physically train, we also need the same to engage in God-honoring, life-giving spiritual practices: Bible reading, prayer, fellowship, and private worship.
And who is on the sidelines cheering us on? The heroes of the faith! Abraham, Moses, Joseph are all yelling, “you can do it!” Add on the family and friends who have gone before us. And ultimately, Jesus Himself is cheering and praying for us (John 17:20). I imagine Him saying, “Run well Debby, run well," and, “Run well [your name], run well.”
Life is hard. The marathon can be draining, but by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus we can run and not grow weary. We can run and not lose heart. So, train for life’s marathon and make the adjustments in attitudes, schedules, or whatever is holding you back from running with perseverance the race marked out before us.
