Running the race

     When I was in the 8th grade I represented my class in the mile relay.  I guess today it would be the 1600 Meters.  I ran the second leg of the race and believe it or not I was pretty fast.  The first guy on our team had fallen behind and I thought it was my responsibility to make up some ground for our team.  As I looked at the opposing runners I realized that they all looked like they were giants.  Seriously, they were all head and shoulders taller than me.  Two of my strides would equal one of their strides.  These guys had facial hair!  I was running against men!  They should not have been running in this race with mere junior high students.  Was I at the right place?  Were we suppose to be here? 

     As I took the baton from my teammate, I was already distracted about the race.  I tried my best to keep up with them, so I ran faster than I should have ran, instead of pacing myself for the race.  By the time I made it to the last turn I was out of breath, my legs were killing me and I was next to last in the leg.  I disappointed myself, I disappointed my teammates and I disappointed the crowd who was rooting me on.  It was a frustrating time for me.

     In much the same way as Christians we often become distracted in the race God has called us to run.  Often times in the Bible the Christian life is compared to a race.  Paul tells us in I Corithians 9:24 - 26 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly."   

     The writer of Hebrews encourages the early Christians with these words in Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (Christians before us) let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."   The thing to remember is that it is our race and we are not running against others, but running to please God.  It is not a competition, but it is the Christian life. 

Instead of becoming distracted by the things around us (ie. they are taller; they are grown men) we are to keep our focus on the race at hand and our eyes on Christ.  He is the author and perfecter of our faith and will help us see the race through to the end.  So at the end of life we will be able to say as the apostle Paul "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award me on that day."

In my research this week I ran into these words from Eric Liddell which drives this whole point home.  You may remember that the movie Chariots of Fire was partially based on Eric Liddell and the 1924 Olympics.  He was a dedicated Christian who refused to compromise his integrity and run a race on the Sabbath.  These are his words:

"You came to see a race today.  To see someone win.  It happened to be me.  But I want you to do more than just watch a race.  I want you to take part in it.  I want to compare faith to running in a race.  It's hard.  It requires concentration of will, energy of soul.  You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it.  But how long does that last?  You go home.  Maybe you're dinner's burnt.  Maybe you haven't got a job.  So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way.  I have no formula for winning the race.  Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way.  And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end?  From within.  Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.  If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me."  If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race."

Sounds like good advice to me.  Commit yourself to the love Christ - that is how you run a straight race.  I  pray that you are in shape.  If not I would love to train you and run the race with you.  See YOU at the finish line.