In our house there is a way for kids to run through the
living room, dining room, kitchen and den and back again. Since our first
granddaughter came on the scene 15 years ago, they all run the “run”. Even
though we have now taken out the wall between living room and den, they still
have a way to run through and around.
Stella absolutely LOVES to run! She walks in and says “run!”
and goes. Often one or both brothers join her and they’re in a race to run
together and outrun one another. Because Stella is such a lightweight,
especially compared to her brothers, it’s real easy to knock her down when they
pass her. She will fall and whine a little and then breathe out, “I’m ok”. She
picks herself up and runs some more!
Every once in a while she decides to stay down. She may even try
dragging herself along with her arms and hands. After a while she gets up and
runs again. She never quits running. Every time she comes over, she begins
running. Sometimes she hops and skips along with the run, but she’s always
moving on.
God speaks to my heart. How we love to run this race of
faith. We run headlong and we get to run beside others who want to run the race
of faith. Occasionally we get knocked
down as folks run ahead of us. Occasionally we trip ourselves up. Either way,
we find ourselves flat on our faces, prostrate before God.
The choice is there. Do we whine
and kick and try to place the blame for our fall? Do we get mad at ourselves
because we let ourselves get knocked down?
Do we try to drag ourselves along and refuse to get up and keep going?
We can give ourselves sympathy because someone ran on and left us in the dirt.
Or we can pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, let God set us back on the
mark and keep running.
Will we keep running simply for the joy of running? Will we let God be
our reason to run, the reason to get up again, the reason to keep going and
especially the reason to have joy in the run? Will we run the race of faith
simply for Him and because of Him?
Aren’t we blessed? We don’t have
to run for competition, to beat one another, to receive an earthly trophy or
crown or title. We don’t have to lie in
the dust and remain motionless for the rest of our days, even if we got knocked
down. With God as our Coach, who speaks
words of faith into our hearts and minds we can get up and continue this run of
faith!
Oh beloved, God knows you were running so well. He knows you got
knocked down by life’s circumstances. He knows you just want to lay there and
let the pain overtake you. He knows you want to belly ache and grumble because
others have run on without you. But
beloved, you are really just running your faith path with Jesus! Yes, people
come and go from your path, but you aren’t going to focus on them. Yes, you
fall, you get hurt, you’re wounded, tripped up and trampled. But you aren’t
ruined, you aren’t sidelined, you aren’t done.
Put your hand in your Divine Coach’s hand – the Lord Himself - this morning and watch as He cheers you on to
run with Him! He still has a plan for you and if you will let Him He will give
you a clear path to run the race and achieve His will in all you do. Because He loves you and He’s for you and
that’s why you will never have to lose the race, you just have to keep running!
Philippians 3:13-14 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved
it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to
what lies ahead, I press on to reach the
end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ
Jesus, is calling us.
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of
witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us
down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with
endurance the race God has set before us.
1 Peter 5:4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a
crown of never-ending glory and honor.
Hebrews 10:36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will
continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.
Colossians 1:11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His
glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May
you be filled with joy.
