Have you ever trained for a marathon? “Of course not!” and a look of confusion is what I normally get when asking that question. I haven’t either as I stopped after a couple of 5Ks. It takes so much time and effort that most of us wouldn’t dream of it (except in a nightmare while being chased by…something). I have a friend, Melyssa, that feels differently. She is a runner who last winter decided to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon. She was running a good training session and her timing looked promising for the upcoming qualifying race. That’s when she ran across a patch of ice, fell, and broke her wrist, requiring surgery. After not being able to train for several weeks, she went into the qualifying race and fell short. She was defeated. She should just stop running now, right? It would keep her from having to face more obstacles that could bring her heartbreaking defeat again.

The New Testament talks many times about our Christian life being a race (Hebrews 12, 1 Corinthians 9, Philippians 2). We are running, on purpose, to reach an ultimate goal. Along that path, there will be many obstacles to throw us off, injure us or even get us to stop and quit running altogether. After all, if we sit out the race, we don’t have to spend the time and energy training and don’t have to worry about obstacles in our path. However, the Bible says that not only are we to run the race, but that we need to run it in an attempt to win (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). That means daily putting in the effort to follow God’s path of your life.

I write this next part, not to discourage you, but to remind you to be vigilant (1Peter 5:8). I find that the faster I go, the easier it is to not notice obstacles and trip up. Also, the closer I am trying to walk with God, the more obstacles seem to show up. This means that we can expect to face opposition when trying to do right. That’s why it’s so important to put on the FULL armor of God (Ephesians 6), not just parts and pieces. We also need to focus on the goal as that will help us run the right direction and keep our feet from tripping over themselves (Hebrews 12:1). When I mow the lawn, I look at a fixed point and aim toward it to keep straight lines. When I look at my feet, or the mower, or my kids playing, I lose my direction and go all over the place.

Back to Melyssa. She didn’t give up. She followed the doctors restrictions and then when allowed, started training again. She did not trip on the ice. She got stronger and faster. She will be racing in the next Boston Marathon. How’s your race going friend? Are you sitting it out because you don’t want to try or are scared of tripping up? Have you been injured and are taking time to heal? Are you walking a steady, but comfortable pace? Are you running as fast as you can without being wary of dangers? Are you running the race to finish the course? Wherever you are, tighten your running shoes and get moving to receive the crown (1 Corinthians 9).