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"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
(Hebrews 12:1)
My friend Malachi Cole recently ran 100 miles in 26 hours. This race falls into the "ultra-marathon" category. You may disagree and say it falls into the "ultra-crazy" category! Well, it certainly requires exceptional grit, tenacity, and physical fitness. Malachi is an endurance runner par excellence. It really is remarkable what the human body can do when pushed to keep going in spite of pain. Malachi's knee was swollen to the size of a cantaloupe! He told me on the phone, however, that he is ready to get better so he can--you guessed it--run more! I only personally know one other ultra-marathoner, and that is Christine Jones, a member of our church, Great Hills Baptist Church here in Austin, TX. Christine and her husband Gary are from South Africa and recently became U.S. citizens!
Our focal text for today's devotion is one that I love. This verse is on my wall in my office at church. It is written on a piece of wood that also serves as a hanger of sorts for the medals I have accrued in running various races, from marathons to triathlons. Each time I run a race, I hang the medal with the others. This verse is a reminder to me that I am running much more important races than physical ones. I run the race of life for Jesus Christ. In one of my first races, I remember running and thinking about this verse and how God's people are awaiting our arrival in heaven. Their lives, legacies, and testimonies inspire us to not just start the Christian life well, but moreover, finish the race. It is pretty easy to start a physical race, but to finish (especially a 26.2-mile marathon, not to mention a 100-mile one), well, that takes a lot more effort!
If you have ever run in a race, you know the exhilaration you receive when bystanders cheer you on. Your body is hurting, and you want to quit, but then you see a complete stranger offering you water or words of affirmation, and something inside you is stirred. You begin to believe that you will make it after all. Some reading this may object and say you will never run unless someone is chasing you! I get it, and I said that many times myself before I started on this journey of running. You may not be a runner physically, but if you are a follower of Jesus, then you are most certainly a spiritual runner for Him. So, let me encourage you to remember the lives of those who have gone before you, lay aside any weight or hindrance (sin), and run your race with endurance. Your race will look like mine, but it will also be different. Only you can run the race God has assigned for you. Run well!
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