Running the Race for Him

"Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." ~Hebrews 12:1-2~ Several weeks ago, I was preparing for a 5k, here in my home town. I was pretty excited about it, and was hopeful that I would be able to beat my goal. In preparation for the race, I was training, and running about every other day. On one particular day, I was about half way through my run, and there was a big puddle in my path. I ran around the puddle, and up on higher ground to avoid getting wet. I was running along the irrigation ditch, and there were a lot of rocks on the path. As I was running, there was a rock that hit the tip of my foot. I stumbled, and almost fell sliding right on my face into the rocks. Luckily, I caught my footing again, and was able to avoid the possible injury. I was very determined that I was not going to stop running. I wasn't going to let a little rock stop me, trip me, or ruin my training session. As I began thinking about that run, I thought about how that relates to my Christian life. Each one of us, as humans, are on a course. From birth, to death, we are running a race to get to the finish line. We as well have to choose which course we are going to take, some are harder than others, some are easier than others, some have twists and turns, and some are pretty straightforward. Whatever course we choose to take, Satan, the great deceiver, will always try and make the course that much harder. He will put things in our way to distract us, to hinder us, or to knock us down. He will do anything in his power to take us of our course, and redirect us onto his. But that's where we have to make the decision, are we going to let those distractions and obstacles trip us up? Are we going to get distracted, and detour off of the path that we are on? As Christians, we should never give up, never give in, and never surrender. As Hebrews 12:2 says, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith". Jesus has already finished his course. He has lived a great life, He has faced the same trials, and temptations we face, and He is at the finish line, waiting for us to arrive. As runners, We have to set our eyes fully on Him. We can't focus on the distractions or obstacles. We can't focus on the the things around us, we just have to focus on Him. That doesn't mean we won't slip up. Many times, as humans, we will sin. I will be the first one to tell you, I have done things that I am not proud of; But that's where God is with us, ready to pick us back up, and help us keep going on the right path. We just have to keep running the race. Our priorities have to be right, our focus has to be right, and we should run the race for Him.