Run Through the Pain
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
I love running. In fact, being 8 months pregnant, I wish I could do just about anything above a “waddle.” I enjoy putting in my headphones, pressing play on my “running” playlist on my ipod, and taking off. Unfortunately, no amount of good music saves me from the inevitable---pain. Eventually, some kind of cramp, side-stitch, or fatigue sets in. I have a choice---I either stop running, or I keep running. It’s that simple, really. I choose to stop or go, and that choice is heavily affected by what I am focused on. I can focus on the pain, or I can focus on the finish. Track runners know that they will run harder and faster when their eyes are on the finish line and not what is going on around them. I, for one, usually choose to run outdoors because however far I go, I always have to make it home---as opposed to a treadmill where a simple “stop” button taunts me endlessly. Runners know that it is imperative to have a goal---be it a finish line, or the front door of your house. You must focus on where you are going, and push through pain to get there.
The author of Hebrews knew a thing or two about running, and encourages followers of Christ to view their lives as a race towards the finish line---the goal being Christ Himself. As believers, we have a choice in this race. We can either run with perseverance, as we are urged to do in Hebrews 12, or we can stop. We can take a seat. We can choose to dilly-dally, or we can quit day-dreaming about becoming great runners, and just run!
So, what does it mean to “run” spiritually? I have a verse taped to my computer screen: Do all things without complaining and disputing that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (Philippians 2:13-15). So often, I pray that God would show me His plan for my life, and lead me to the next thing, and then the next, and so forth and so on. I pray that God would provide for times of need, and that God would work miracles in others’ lives. I pray that God would speak to me. And yet, I so quickly ignore those “simple” commands that I already know. I brush off with a “yeah, yeah, yeah, show me the big stuff!” But the truth is that is the big stuff. Running spiritually means knowing that we have a choice to obey what we already know! I can read, “Do all things without complaining,” and I can choose to either act on my desires to complain, or hold my tongue. I can sit down because it hurts too much, or I can push through the pain and RUN! I can read “esteeming others as greater than yourself,” and I can choose to love, or to walk away because I’m too lazy to care.
Jesus knew pain, greater than any of us ever will, and yet He was focused on the goal. I am humbled to think that WE were the goal---we were His motivation to keep going faithfully. We were the joy that was set before Him that strengthened Him to endure the cross. Now, Jesus has given each of us our own race to run. We have a course that is mapped out that we will keep running until we reach Him, and each day we have a choice to run or to walk. This year, I challenge you all (along with myself) to run hard, to love strong, and to focus on our Lord who has gone before us!
