I was supposed to be hanging out with one of my dearest friends to run a 5k race tomorrow, but the coronavirus stole that plan.
So I’m left to daydream about the race, knowing we would have kept the same pace to encourage each other to keep reaching for the finish line. And if I would have wiped out on my face, I know my dear friend would have stopped to help me. That’s just the kind of friend she is. (Love you, Dawn! 😉 )
We all need someone to help us when we stumble and fall, don’t we? We need someone to help us see the markers, to know which path to take, to know which way leads to the finish line.
We don’t want to wander off, get lost, and find ourselves in the dark at the end of the day wondering where we went wrong.
Maybe you already feel that way. Maybe you feel like you’re running all by yourself and the road is treacherous and you don’t see any safe places to stop and rest. Maybe you’re broken and you would never trust any of the other runners to help you because you’ve been hurt before. You’d rather limp along and do the best you can.
But what if there’s a better way? What if I told you the world is full of runners who are all aiming for the same finish line. They’re not perfect. They’ve got sprained ankles and scraped-up knees, some from their own stumbles and blunders.
But they keep going. They don’t quit. For years, they’ve run. They can’t see the finish line, but they know it’s there. They know they’re getting closer. And each one is keeping an eye out to help you. That’s just the kind of people they are. (It’s the kind of people they’re supposed to be.)
And the pace is increasing. It’s just a matter of time before the finish line comes into view; when we all round the corner and see that glorious ribbon appearing as a beam of light, separating top from bottom, past from future, life from death.
Are you struggling in your race, in your life? Dear Soul, you don’t have to run alone.
You can run with this great big group of runners known as the Church.
Oh dear, Soul. Please hear my heart. I am a part of the Church. I am SO imperfect. But I keep aiming for the finish line, focusing on the prize. I keep running.
And I hope you’ll run with me.
If you’ve stumbled and fallen, I’m reaching out my hand to you right now. Run with me. Let’s finish this race together, breaking through the finish line and right into the arms of Jesus Christ as He and all those who have run before us wait to welcome us home.
I can’t think of a better prize.
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14 NIV.)
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1b NIV.)
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7 NIV.)
And the race is marked out for us beginning here:
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 NIV.)
(Photo from pexels.com.)
Training for Eternity 