My Race

When I was in Elementary school, I entered every running contest I could.  I LOVED Field Day.  This was when schools in my area competed in various outdoor activities.  There were sack races, tug of wars, relays, softball throws, and many more.  I loved to run. As a teenager I would run 3-5 miles a day just because it was fun.

After I was married and had 2 small children, I considered a job as a security guard.  One of the requirements was to be able to run a mile in 6 minutes.  At this point in my life I hadn't run since college.  I put my running shoes on and took off running.  On my first test run, I ran a mile in 8 minutes.  Not bad for a Mom of two.

Later when I was in my 30's we adopted our third child.  When he was two I opened a Home Day Care.  For my mental health, I started back at walking/running 4 days a week.  I got to where I ran 2-3 miles and walked 2 miles.  I enjoyed running again.

My daughter and son in-law can tell you more about running challenges than I can.  They accomplished something that I had never tried.  A marathon. They trained for several months.  Wore out a few pairs of shoes.  Injured and felt pain in areas they've never had pain before.  (To read about their experiece read H20 Runners.

The writer of Hebrews 12 talks about a race.  A race that each believer is in.  Yes, if you are a person of faith and a follower of Christ you are a runner.  This passage goes into detail, in the first couple verses, about how to best run your race.  But for this moment I want to skip over that and focus on the end of verse 1.  Hebrews 12:1b "...the race that is set before us,"

When my pastor preached from this passage Sunday night.  I was encouraged about two things. 

1. God puts us in our race.  "...the race that is set before us," God chose a race for me.  You have your race.  I have mine. 
2. My goal in this race is not to win.  But to finish.  When my daughter and her husband ran a marathon, had they ran 26 miles, and stopped with 325 yards to go...then they wouldn't have finished the race.  All they would have accomplished was running really far.  A marathon is officially 26.2 miles.

I am in my race.  You are in yours.  I want to finish well.  Do you?  How are you doing in your race?  Sometimes I'm not doing so well. In Hebrews 12:12,

 "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;"

Sometimes I'm not strong.  Sometimes I don't think I can make it.  Marathon runners struggle with that.  I'm told the last 4-6 miles are the hardest.  Sometimes I have to pick up my hands and get off my feeble knees and start again.  Pick up and keep going.  I need to finish my race.  I Corinthians 15:58 is my life verse.

 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

My race is different than yours.  Some believers are running on a track that is level and smooth.  Others, the track is hilly and hard. The long stretches can be very difficult.  Our track conditions can change at anytime.  We need to help one another by encouraging each believer to get up, keep going, and finish.

I want my kids to see their Mom finish with strong faith.  I want my grandchildren to hear stories of how their grandmother loved the Lord and served Him in spite of difficulties and challenges.  I want my friends to know that I truly do love the Lord with all my heart, soul, and body.  I want to be like Paul,

II Timothy 4:7, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"