"...let us run..."

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

If you’ve been in church for any length of time, chances are that you’ve heard the Christian "walk" compared to running a race. It’s a sort of classic. This past weekend, at the Father’s Eyes Conference, I heard the same analogy used in a different light. Krista, the speaker (she’s GREAT), very nicely compared coming to Christ with training for a race. You see the neat little correlation there?:) She painted such a neat picture, that I just had to share it with you. I’m going write what she said as if I’m saying it though...it’s easier than all the "she said, and then she was like," and so on. But, unfortunately, I can’t take credit for it, lol...

Anyway...so a few years back, I went with my husband to the L.A. Marathon. He’s much more athletic than me, and he’d decided he was going to do it. So of course I was there to cheer him on:) When we got there, it was so cool! Everyone there was so pumped up to be there! It was like...all these people, who don’t even know each other personally or anything, were all there for the same purpose! And that one thing that they had in common made everyone so friendly, and nice, and accepting of each other. Because they all agreed on everything? No, cause they were all runners! It was really cool:) Anyhow, I positioned myself near the finish line, so that I could get a good shot of Kyle crossing the finish line. The cool part was, I got to see everyone cross the finish line:) It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever watched. Every single one of those people...you could tell, by the way they crossed the finish line, why they ran the race. Some of them ran strong, all the way up to the finish line and collapsed! You could tell that marathon took every ounce of energy they had in them, but they gave it all. It was a real test of determination and self will. Some of them "ran" across the finish line as if they were about to die. It was like they weren’t sure they were ever going to make it all the way, and then saw the finish line, and had to force themselves just to finish! It was their first marathon, and the goal was just to do it. Some of them ran across the finish line, pumping their arms over their heads, with big triumphant grins spread across their faces. They’d done it before, and knew they could do it, but came again year after year, to prove that they were still in the game. It was, by far, the coolest thing I’ve watched. After watching that marathon, I knew, somehow, I was gonna run next year. I decided...that was something I wanted to be a part of. But...just wanting to be a part of it wasn’t going to be enough. There were definitely some steps that I had to take in order to get there. It’s the same way with coming to Christ. You can go to your friend’s youth group, and realize that it’s something you want to be a part of, but there are steps you have to take in order to really become a follower of Christ.
First off, you have to make a decision. I decided that I was going to run the L.A. Marathon in one year. If I’d just thought, "That’d be cool, maybe I’ll join in next time ’round," I can guarantee that the next year, I’d just be taking pictures again. I had to make a real, concious decision that running that marathon was something I was determined to do, and that it was worth taking the next step to do. If you’re checking out Christianity, and thinking, "Yeah, it’d be cool to be a ’christian’...maybe I’ll go to church next week if I feel like it." I can almost guarantee that you’re not going to stay with it - and that makes a huge difference. You need to decide, with all your heart, mind, and will, that you believe in what Jesus did for you, and you want to follow Him.
Secondly, you have to get real! When I decided I was going to run that marathon, I was not ready to actually run it. I knew this. I knew I was going from running maybe once a week...or...at least walking once a week, to running twenty-six point two miles! Now, I don’t know why they throw the "point two!" in there, as if twenty-six miles isn’t enough, but it kind of made it that much more challenging just to think about. Anyway, I’d decided I was going to do this. So I went out and bought a cute running outfit to motivate myself - I’m not a runner, but hey, I can look the part anyway;) So the next Monday, I went out to see what I could do. *hangs head in shame* I couldn’t even run a half a mile without stopping! Seriously, half a mile from home, I was sitting on the curb thinking, "there is no way I’m ever gonna be able to run twenty-six point two miles!" *sigh* I had a ton of work to do. I was nowhere near my goal. Now, I could’ve gone home and lied to my husband and said, "Psh, that first mile was easy! I’ve got a year to train for this? This is gonna be a cinch!"...or I could get real, and walk in the house with my head hung in shame, and say, "...Honey I stink! I can’t even run a half mile! You’ve done this before. Train me, please!!" Well, it didn’t feel great to say it, but if I was gonna run that race next year...I needed his help. So I asked for it.
Coming to Christ, just like my pathetic first attempt at running, is not something you can fake. You gotta come straight to the throne of God, with all your weaknesses - He knows about ’em all anyway, so why act like you’ve got this whole Christian gig in the bag? You have to get real with God. My husband knew I wasn’t prepared to run that race, so he didn’t think I was silly to admit I needed his help, and he was willing to train me. God knows where you really stand, and He doesn’t expect you to have it altogether! And the awesome part is, He’s willing to train you. But first, you gotta get real with Him. Tell Him about your weaknesses, the baggage you’re carrying, the stuff you’ve done that you’re ashamed of, the attitudes you have that you know you shouldn’t...get real with Him, and let Him see all the areas where you need Him most - it’s mandatory if you ever expect to see growth and change.
Thirdly...you gotta start the transformation. For me to get ready for that marathon...it wasn’t enough to decide to run it, and then realize that I couldn’t! I had to take steps, I had to make changes. I had to change the way I ran, to get the most out of my efforts. I had to change the way I ate, to get rid of the junk that would just slow me down. I had to change the way I looked at pain, because pushing myself did not mean avoiding aching muscles, side stitches, and breaking a sweat. When you decide to follow Christ, and you get real with God and ask Him to train you, to prepare you for what following Him really takes...you’ve gotta take steps. You’ve gotta be willing to change the way you live! The way you talk, maybe that’s one of those areas where you had to get real with God, and say "Help me to clean up the way I talk, help me not to cuss, or mouth off, or gossip!" The way you dress, maybe God needs to transform you and change what motivates the way you dress. Maybe He needs to adjust the way you interact with your parents. Maybe He needs to polish up your self-esteem and help you to realize that you’re one of His children and He loves you. But these changes don’t just happen on their own. You belong to God, yes, but taking the steps to become more like Him is your responsibility. This doesn’t mean you’re earning His love or salvation. This means you’re doing your part, to keep yourself close to Him, to keep your heart soft to His Word, to keep yourself out of the habits that you know He doesn’t want for you. This means spending time in His Word, talking to Him through prayer, hanging out with people who will encourage you to be more like Christ, and doing something about it when God lays it on your heart to change something.
A year later, we were back at the L.A. Marathon. This time I was running! I was one of those people who was so pumped to be there! I could talk to the other people there about running, about getting ready for the marathon...some of the people who weren’t running had run before, and they were so encouraging:) When it was time to run, I was ready. Now my goal wasn’t to win the race...my goal was to finish. The gun went off, and we all started running. I was so excited! That twenty-six point two miles was long though! It was tiring! The excitement didn’t wear off though:) See, there were people all along the marathon route, and they were cheering everyone on! Even the people they didn’t know! They’d be cheering, "Yeah! Go 374! You’re doin’ good! Keep running!...Alright! C’mon 127!! Good job!" I had encouragement the whole way! Oh, then there were booths with water and little snacks, along the route. Those were horrible! Some people would stop, and drink a water bottle and eat a little power bar or something, but I told myself I wasn’t gonna stop. Those booths were like...Satan or something! Tempting me around every bend! Oh and what was even worse! People who were running...they’d...quit!!! Don’t get me wrong, I was tired too, but...they’d gone, y’know, 18 miles, and just...quit! It was so discouraging! Especially when, around mile 20, I couldn’t feel my legs! I knew if I stopped, I’d just flop to the ground, cause my legs were numb! But I had to keep going - I had to finish! And y’know what? I did. I was one of those people who collapsed afterward, but I finished! It was one of the coolest feelings in the world. I’d somehow been able to resist the urge to stop along the way, or to quit altogether, and I’d finished...my first marathon.
Guys, running the race, walking the Christian walk...it’s a lot like that marathon! There are tons of us running together - some are faster, slower, stronger, more fatigued, more excited, more discouraged - but we’re all running together. Check this out: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1 This "great cloud of witnesses" refers to the "Heroes of the Faith" mentioned in chapter 11. Those are the people, who’ve run before, and are now on the sidelines, cheering us on! They’ve run their race, they’ve crossed the finish line, and now they’re right up there with God, praising Him for our successes, cheering us on in our efforts to live for Him!...With that in mind...let us throw off everything that hinders us...the donuts that slow us down, the sodas that give us false energy...the music that keeps our minds on the world, the friends who make us feel good until we realize that they’re getting us to do things that are wrong, the attitudes that keep us from focusing on Christ...let’s actively throw those things off, and..."Let us fix our eyes on Jesus..." (Hebrews 12:2) I wanna cross that finish line...even if I fall down at His feet and say, "Lord, that took every ounce of effort that I had in me"...I want to cross that finish line. I’m sure it will be, literally, the coolest thing I’ve ever done.

(Inspired by Krista, Father’s Eyes Conference 2008)

On that note...
I’m aiming for the 5K first...;)