Running with Perseverance

“Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the same, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
(Heb. 12:1-2, ESV)

            Have you had a difficult goal that took perseverance to complete? Several years ago, I signed up for my first half-marathon. I had a running buddy, determined the date of the race, and set out to train. Training was sometimes difficult, but I tried to be mindful of the race. The day of the race, my partner and I arrived to the parking lot early to get our numbers, warm-up, and stretch. Because of the humid, sultry Mississippi heat, the race was to begin at 5:30 a.m. When the time arrived, we all lined up on the starting line. My partner encouraged “holding back” at the beginning of the race. (When tons of people start out at the beginning of a race, many just sprint out ahead of everyone.) This particular race was 14.1 miles, a little farther than a half due to the marathoners turning around at the half-way point. The gun sounded…

            For about the first seven miles, I felt great. “This is no big deal,” I thought to myself. About mile eight, however, the sun started to come up, and the Mississippi humidity began to blanket itself all over us. Mile eight was also where my running partner picked up the pace. I started to run solo. Mile nine… I started getting thirsty. To distract myself, I tried to talk to the lady that was running next to me. She had on a 50-state marathon shirt. I asked her about her “favorite marathon,” but after a few short sentences, it was apparent that she didn’t want to talk. Mile 10… “Man, this is hard,” I thought to myself. “Keep going.” Mile 11… “Why am I doing this?” I tried to convince myself that I had only three more miles to go. Mile 12… “Oh my…” By mile 13, I thought about my Baptist Student Director in college. He always used to ask us, “What is the spiritual application of this?” I tried to concentrate on that question. My initial thought was, “Um, don’t run a half-marathon!” but then I thought about the word persevere. Persevere is sometimes is difficult—just look at the ending of the ending of the word—severe. 

           The writer of Hebrews compares the Christian life to a race, and he calls it a race of endurance or perseverance. In a race, like the one we run in our Christian lives, it is definitely one of endurance. Instead of a sprint, it is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day process. (Faith in Lord, as Hebrews 11 tells us, is very much part of this process.) Instead of looking to the clock at the finish, we look to Jesus—the author and perfecter/finisher of our faith. We not only look to him for the eternal perspective, but He is our example during the process. We also find our strength in Him (Phil. 4:13). 

            My thoughts were interrupted by cheers. I could see the end of the race in sight. I picked up my pace. When I crossed the finish line, I was so excited. Later that day, I reflected more on the truths of Hebrews 12. The truth of Scripture is profound and deep. It calls us to “throw off sin,” look to Jesus, and run—with perseverance, of course.

 

 

 Kathy King grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. After college, she served as a Journeyman in Madrid, Spain. Currently, Kathy is a student at Southeastern pursing her M. DIV in Christian Ministries and M.A. in Biblical Counseling. She is a counseling intern for the Women’s Life Office and a member of the Summit Church. Eventually, Kathy would like to do Member Care for missionaries on the field. Her hobbies include running, photography, writing, and being outside.