WEEKLY FOCUS ARCHIVE

Running the Race

July 14, 2005

Be faithful…finish well.

Those words ought to inspire us to stay in the race. Too many start the Christian walk with the idea that nothing but “happy” circumstances will follow once a decision is made to follow Christ. While we are assured that life and “life abundantly” is found in Christ, we are never promised a life of health, wealth and prosperity. What God promises those who follow Him is a life of meaning, purpose, and virtue amidst all that life brings our way. While there will be many days of great joy, happiness and perhaps “good” circumstance, there will also be many challenges along the way. So the question we must ask is, “How do we stay in the race?” “How do we reach the finish line?”

The life and training of the marathon runner provides us with a great metaphor for our endurance challenge in the Christian life. Consider the principles and practices below which are followed by any strong marathon runner. Applied to our lives they offer us the ability to run the race for the long haul and enable us to finish well.

Learn to adapt to any race day conditions.
Strong marathoners prepare themselves to run in any temperature. Even in overwhelming heat, the good marathoner will be able to adapt and indeed thrive in the race. As Christians, we need to find the resolve that enabled Shadrac and friends to remain in the furnace waiting for God to show up. The heat will be turned up at times in our lives. If we choose to bail out and give up each time a major challenge comes our way, we give up on the call of God to make us what He is calling us to be. Jeremiah was the “weeping prophet”, but he endured and was God’s great spokesman. Do not forsake the race of faith when all around you appears to be caving in. Endure the heat, adapt, and run for your life.

Beat muscle soreness.
The race will take its toll at times. You can feel beat up. But as any athlete knows, muscle soreness is a sign you are doing things right and growth is taking place. Don’t quit when the soreness sets in. Work through it and allow God to bring about the growth He intends. Its part of the process.

Learn to train when you hurt.
Press through the workouts even when you feel some hurts. All great runners and indeed all great athletes “play hurt” from time to time. Who can forget those nights when Michael Jordan came to the court totally depleted, dehydrated and weak and yet played his heart out and scored 50 points to lead his team to a big win? Those kinds of moments inspire those looking on. When you are pressing hard for the goal there will be moments that hurt—stay with it, keep running, and never, never, never give up.

Massage therapy
All marathon runners have many massages during their training period. Without this kind of professional care and attention their muscles would not last for the next day of training. All of us, no matter how “spiritual”, can go it alone all the time. We all need some help occasionally. At times, even leaders, need to get in front of someone who can offer counseling and help for issues we wrestle with. There are no Christian Supermen. Rather than pretend you are something you are not, get help when you need it. Its o.k. God intends for us to minister to one another. Left unattended, some of our issues, hurts, pains, will scar us for life and will kill the life of God in us.

Injury recovery strategies
It is not true that “time heals all wounds”. Some wounds, left alone, only get worse. Scar tissue can hinder proper function in the body. Runners pay special attention to hip, back and knee issues. If a runner leaves an injury to one of these areas alone too long it can indeed take him out of the race. These are big ones for runners. A marathoner cannot endure 24 miles with a major problem in one of these areas. As Christians we must address the “big” issues in our lives. Those besetting sins which we hide from others can ultimately sideline us. Take care of the nasty wounds and get a bandage on them as quickly as you can. Properly cared for they can heal and gain new strength. Neglected, they can put you on the disabled list. And if you are on the disabled list, you cannot be a difference maker. You cannot run.

Proper nutrition
Eating the proper diet is absolutely critical for the long distance runner. The right mix of fat, carbohydrates and protein are essential to performance. If a runner eats too much fat or too little carbs leading into race day he will not perform as he should. Likewise, as Christians, if we do not feed on the Word daily we will falter, wear out, loose momentum. Sunday is not enough. We must place ourselves at God’s training table on a daily basis. Remember, the chief end of man is to know God and enjoy Him forever. We cannot know Him if we are not spending time learning of Him on a regular basis. If we do not know Him then we cannot enjoy Him.

Keep a training log
Runners will often times keep a very accurate journal of performance. Seconds shaved can make a difference. Adjustments in technique can save a long distance runner minutes in a race. Accomplishments and goals pursued and recorded offer ongoing incentive to the runner to keep on track with the training process. As followers of Christ we find great hope when we can look back on what God has done in our lives, what lessons we have learned along the way, how we navigated challenges in the past. These things give us passion to remain in the race and pursue the finish line.

Train like the finish line is worth pursuing. Remember, our reward is eternal and the joy set before us is our inspiration. Run to show the life of God in you. Pursue the finish with the same enthusiasm with which you started. In fact, make it your prayer that God would enable you to sprint through the finish line!

Be faithful, finish well.

Bruce Smith (Rev.)
Director of Development, Teaching Pastor
bruce@uptownchurch.net

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