Running My Race

What does it take to have a perfect race? If you ask the great Eliud Kipchoge, he might tell you a few things here and there, being the holder of the world record for marathons. In the Christina Movie named The Perfect Race, we encounter a young Christian college student preparing for the 800m race. Her coach is optimistic that she can win at least a silver medal in the race. In this race, the gold medal holder’s time is impossible to beat. It is through faith and running her race that she becomes the winner. The movie is about a Christian student running her race and achieving her goal. As Christians, how do we run our race, endure, and finally reach our goal? It is by keeping the right pace and avoiding all distractions that we get to our race.

Several times in the bible, our everyday life in Christ is described as a race. We are off running in this marathon, and each sunrise presents new challenges. All the while, we know God has provided the path we are supposed to take. Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since such a great cloud of witnesses surrounds us, let us throw off everything that hinders and sin that so  easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race that marked out for us.” How do we run the race set before us? We start by remembering that we are not alone. Hebrews 11 lists fathers of faith who ran the race before us and how they overcame. These fathers are now among the clouds of witnesses that surround us. Knowing that they are people who walked with God faithfully and finished well is uplifting and encouraging. We can also look into the people with us today who are running well in this race of faith and find strength and encouragement.

Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since such a great cloud of witnesses surrounds us, let us throw off everything that hinders and sin that so  easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race that marked out for us.”

One of the strategies for long endurance in any race is to be as light as possible. In our race in Christ Jesus, we lay aside things that weigh us down and sin that traps us. Before the sprinting attires even existed, runners either tied the clothes from the legs or did away with them. In our Christian race, we can’t run well when we have things entangling our legs. Things that weigh us down are guilt, shame, and lack of self-worth, while sin is highlighted in Galatians 5: 19-21. We have to work together with Christ to do away with sin by keeping our eyes on him. At the beginning of the race, Jesus may seem far away. Before long, we realize that the prize awaiting us is the savior of our souls, and he’s not content to sit and watch us from the finishing line. He is busy working on us as we run the race.

We need to run the race which God has set before us. As we all are in the same race with Christ as the prize, we are to run the race differently for the purpose God has called us. We cannot run anyone else’s race and can not run the race we wish we were running. We can only run the race which God has set before us. God has positioned us on the path he needs us to take according to his master plan. Sometimes, we wish to run a different race or that circumstances were divergent. All we can do is fix our focus on Christ, and he will give us strength to run our race. The only race you can run is the one God sets before you.

Philippians 3:14, “I press on towards the goal to win the prize which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” 

As we run and keep our eyes on Jesus, God works on us, making us more like his son. Ultimately, he will bring us to our awaiting reward: Philippians 3:14, “I press on towards the goal to win the prize which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  The Christian race is not a sprint. It is a marathon. It is not how fast you go at first but that you keep going. Run with endurance. Keep it up for the long haul. Run the race God had set out for you, focusing on Christ Jesus. Keep on running.