“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.“ ( Hebrews 12:1b-2a, NIV)
What words stick out to you from these verses? Most often, for me, it’s the word “RUN”. In my life, I like to go hard. I live most of my life in sprint mode. But the problem with this approach is that eventually I crash and stop moving altogether for a period of time—fixing my eyes on my exhaustion and failure rather than on Jesus, as prescribed here. There are two very important words in this passage that I often forget about: WITH PERSEVERANCE. Running with perseverance is different than running at full speed. But it is also different than dragging your feet. Perseverance is defined as “steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.” (Dictionary.com) To run the race marked out for us with perseverance is to have the sense to pace ourselves at times to keep our energy up, but it is also to have the courage to push forward through obstacles and discouragement. But above all, to run this race with perseverance is to take our eyes off ourselves, our strength, our stamina, and to fix them on the one who can provide all of that and more. How are you running your race today? Are you sprinting? Are you up against some obstacles that you’re not sure how to climb over or get around? Are you ready to throw in the towel? Keep going. Fix your eyes on Jesus, adjust to his pace, and run with perseverance. What does running with perseverance look like in your life?
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