Lord, Your word says we should run our race, run so as to win.
Run intentionally. Exercise self-control in all things.
Run with endurance the race set before us.
For many of us those words all sound like we have to be busier and work harder.
But many of us have nothing more to give.
So what is the race we are to run? Does everyone’s race look the same?
What is my race? How do I run it well? How will I know?
There is a race, My child. It is a race that from your vantage point takes an entire lifetime to run. It starts when you surrender your life to Me and continues through this life and into all of eternity. This is no sprint or a certain number of laps around the same track over and over.
Your speed will vary throughout as will the conditions of your course. There will be seasons that seem like great progress, easy going, and fair weather. Other seasons will be full of distress, obstacles, and even pain. The scenery might be gorgeous and teeming with life, or it may be dull and barren day after day.
Your path may look similar to others and be traveled with companionship and support, or you may find yourself alone for long stretches of time while you see others in the distance traveling roads that seem more pleasant.
Not everyone’s race looks the same. Those who belong to Me find themselves arriving at a common end in My presence, but their journeys may have been quite different. Their characters will be marked by the fruit of the Holy Spirit who lives in them. They will share a love for one another even though their paths were different. Their common faith will be in Me, in the shed blood of My Son Jesus to pay for their sins, and in His resurrection and life by which the Holy Spirit, Son, and Father take up residence in them.
The focus is on how you run your course, whatever it may look like. Above all else, run with your eyes fixed on Me. I am both the author and perfecter of faith. You have been crucified with Me and it is no longer you who live, but I who live in you. It is My very own faith that carries your life and meets every challenge you face. It is only as you walk with Me and abide in My presence that you will run well.
Your race changes during your lifetime. Your run has become more of a walk. Your step has shortened, and you are able to keep up with far less. But all your days are according you My design. I have counted each one and I know their number. Now you notice the scenery more, and there is more time for the solitary things. Do not wish for the past, but embrace the future. Press on to know Me more and walk with Me. In My presence is fulness of joy. Do not fear, for am with you. I will strengthen, help, and uphold you. Every path I take you down can be filled with good things and prepare you for the next life which will be the home your heart truly desires.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25; Hebrews 12:1-2; Galatians 2:20; Psalm 139:16;
Philippians 3:12-14; Psalm 16:11; Isaiah 41:10; James 1:17
His Unfolding Grace 