Stay in the Race

Life has its ups, downs, good times, bad times, unexpected twists and turns, moments where our faith is challenged and moments when we wonder if we're even going to make it. I'm here to tell you that we can make it and that we don't have to quit in the race of life. Hebrews 12:1-2 describes the race of faith we should be running. In order to run this race for Jesus, we first must accept Him as Lord and Savior of our life. We must believe that He died on the cross, was buried, rose from the dead, and wants to save and change us. After we enter the race, then there are some things we must do to stay fit daily. Just like a runner in a physical race prepares, we as Christians need to prepare too. To stay fit as Christians, we need to read and study the Word, rest, pray, give thanks to God and spend time with other Christians. When runners run in their race, they know they can't wear heavy clothing and things that will weigh them down. Instead, they wear light fit clothing that can help them run easily. Carrying a suitcase full of clothes or a backpack full of books while running in a race would definitely slow a runner down! It's the same thing in our spiritual race. We have to lay aside the weight that verse 1 of Hebrews 12 talks about. We can't let situations, people, or the what-ifs of life weigh us down. In other words, we have to drop the weight. When we drop it, we need to give it to God as He wants us to give it to Him. In addition to doing the things that have been mentioned above, there are some other points we need to remember as we run this race of life. Stay focus and look ahead. Watch out for distractions that may cause us to look back. We can't move forward looking back. Take one day at a time and do what we can do in that day. If something can be done the next day, then let it be. Make good choices every day as choices can make the difference between moving forward or backwards. Stay in your lane as you run. God has given us the personality, gifts, talents, and skills we have for a reason. God has great plans for all of us (Jeremiah 29:11). Don't get upset if it seems others are getting ahead and passing you by. Keep doing the best you can. In track and field, there is an event that involves hurdles. Those hurdles have to be jumped over by the runners. Do the runners always clear the hurdles every time they run? Probably not! I'm sure they fell many times when first starting out, but they kept getting back up and trying again. With practice, they got better. We too can get back up when we fall and keep going. We can repent and ask God to forgive us and change our behavior. Keep jumping the hurdles. We all have situations to overcome in life and we can. Some problems in our life may seem like short distance events in track, while others may seem like long distance events. In the short and long distance, we can know God is there. We are winners! Every single day we live is another leg of the race completed. We have come too far now. Stay in the race and don't give up!

"Winners never quit and quitters never win."