“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
A few days ago, as I was driving toward home on Third Avenue in Marion, I saw another sign of spring. Track and field competitions have begun, and a horde of middle and high school students were heading toward the football field/track complex. What an assortment of youngsters — both boys and girls, from middle schoolers in new, bulky sweats (allowing for room to grow) to those who were obviously varsity runners, long, lanky and loping along with confidence in faded, much-worn (and therefore very cool) old T-shirts and shorts.
Always searching for a devotional theme, I hoped the analogy of this cross-section of teens isn’t too clumsy, but it seemed to me that we might be able to draw some parallels between these athletes and we as Christians. After all, there were the beginners, a little uncertain, just trying to keep up with the group they were in. Others were running in a rather show-offish way, probably trying to prove to themselves as much as others that they were real athletes. A few were trudging along, heads down, already a little winded and perhaps rethinking this whole “track team” idea. Most appeared to be pacing themselves, enjoying the downhill slope to the field as they knew there was a demanding practice session ahead of them.
The “bookend” of my musings occurred a couple of days later, as I drove on the same street about an hour later in the day. There were the track participants again, but this time they were plodding up the hill that had been such a pleasant, gentle slope earlier but now looked steep and long. Those springy leg muscles had been getting a workout, and weren’t quite so fresh and strong.
And there it is — living out our calling to be Christ’s people in the world involves being an uncertain beginner, trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. There can be times when we may get a little full of ourselves and behave as though we have everything pretty well figured out, and of course there are times when we are tired and filled with doubt. But with Christ alongside us, we persevere, we run, we jump the hurdles, we hand the baton to our teammate, and we give it our best, and then we trudge back up the hill and do it all again the next day.
And yes, I was watching where I was driving!
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers