Push Ahead

Push Ahead

In every long-distance race, especially a marathon, most runners experience several stages. We’ve already discussed the start (the first five miles or so) and the competitive stage (the next ten miles when we increase our speed and find our rhythm). Now we hit the serious stage, where we don’t feel that great and realize that more than ten miles remain to the finish. But we motor on, gamely putting one foot in front of the other, trying to keep our rhythm and fighting those doubts about whether we’ll make it to the end. At this point, concerned with our physical and mental issues, we stop worrying about how we look or how we’re doing compared to others. This is the “serious” stage because at this point in the race, few runners are smiling.

The parallel to life is obvious. Young people dash out at the start, full of enthusiasm and energy. Then, as they become involved in career and marriage, climbing the economic and marriage/parenting ladder, they measure their success by how they compare to others in their age and social bracket. They’re running fast and feeling good. Before they know it, however (often in their forties and fifties), life begins to beat them up—financial reversals, relational conflicts, career setbacks, physical challenges—and they turn deadly serious. But life, their race, continues.

The writer of Hebrews describes life as a long-distance race, and chapter 12 begins by mentioning a “huge crowd of witnesses.” These are people who have successfully finished the race (many described in chapter 11) despite incredible obstacles. That heritage of faith should encourage us and give us hope.

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. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

At this point in life, we need to “run with endurance,” stripping down to the basics, remembering these other faithful runners, and “keeping our eyes on Jesus,” our champion and leader.

The Runner

During high school, Thom had played sports and had been active in music and drama, so he was pretty well known and had lots of friends. He had been a decent student and had been involved in the campus Christian club as well. So Thom was looking forward to his tenth high school reunion. Since graduation, he had gone to college, where he had played football and had met his future wife. After graduation, Thom had earned his master’s degree, gotten married, and started his career with a major corporation. So Thom was eager to let his former classmates know he had done well. But the reunion felt a lot like high school, with people falling into their old cliques and “in-crowd, out-crowd” attitudes, with superficial conversation. Most of the discussions seemed to center on how well everyone was doing, as if they were competing.

The next few reunions (every five years) felt the same. Sure, Thom had a good time connecting with old high school buds, but he always left feeling that everyone was stuck in the past and trying to prove something to each other. So he almost skipped the twenty-fifth-year reunion. But he went and was surprised at the change. Besides everyone seeming much more relaxed, they also were more open and honest about their hurts and struggles. In his circle of friends alone, he heard of divorce, heart attack, serious illness, and the loss of a child. Thom had recently been downsized, and his teenagers were giving him fits—so he had some good conversations about how to deal with those issues. He also connected with a couple of former classmates who had become Christians and were active in their church. They promised to pray for each other. It’s amazing how people get serious and stop playing games when reality hits, Thom thought.

The Race

Now into their forties, Thom and his former classmates are entering the serious stage of life’s marathon. Some are still comparing and competing, but most are beginning to reevaluate their life’s trajectory and values. And they’re vulnerable and looking for help.

During all of life, we need to remember our purpose and focus on our goal, but during these hard times we feel the need for this more than ever. Some can’t deal with life and get tripped up by sin. Others struggle on, feeling discouragement and despair. If we want to run our races well, however, we need to take those steps as directed in Hebrews 12: Strip off those weights (i.e., get rid of those sinful habits and thoughts), stay focused on Christ, and think of all he went through for us.

The Result

If you’re at an early life stage, be wise and prepared for this one. If you’re in this serious stage, stay focused on Christ and his route for you. Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Now that’s a promise we can run with!

My Story

For a long time I was so captivated by the mental picture of the “huge crowd of witnesses” watching from the grandstands in Hebrews 12:1 that I didn’t really pay much attention to the two required personal responses: stripping off weights (sin) and running with endurance my particular race. I don’t think I understood at the deepest level the experience behind those responses until I was in my midtwenties.

As part of a leadership training requirement, I signed up for a wilderness learning seminar that would take me into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for three weeks of intensive outdoor experiences designed to prepare those who would in turn use the natural environment as the context for ministry with young people. The brochure described training in canoeing, kayaking, ropes, backpacking, and camping and hinted at other exotic experiences. What it didn’t emphasize was the philosophy of learning by being. We were not going to be allowed to be outside observers and learners—we would be learning in the laboratory of personal experiences.

I wasn’t really prepared for two weeks of daily slogging through the mosquito-infested, swampy, hot Northwoods wearing a seventy-pound backpack—a significant amount of the time in the rain. I’m not very big (lighter back then), and my pack equaled about half my weight. I struggled to carry it, and even the rest stops were miserable because I had to plan how to get the pack back on without causing a scene. One guy on our trip would pick up his pack with one hand and put it on with no more difficulty than slipping into a sweater. (I hated him.) I ran the risk of making a fool of myself each time I tried to get into the harness without crying out over the open sores on my shoulders where the chafing had worn away my skin. This went on for fourteen days.

I don’t remember that the carrying ever became easier, and I lost about ten pounds I didn’t have to spare. However, I did learn some tricks for getting into the pack harness, and as we consumed our food, the packs got a little lighter. On the morning of the fifteenth day, we were reminded that one of our final challenges was a ten-mile run.

We left our backpacks in a truck along with everything we didn’t need to carry for the run. Run? I had struggled with trudging for the last two weeks! As I reluctantly walked to the starting line in the woods, I felt odd without the pack. I’d grown accustomed to the weight. But I really noticed the difference when they sent us on our way. As I ran, I seemed to be floating. I can’t remember a time when I felt so light! It was as if both a mental and a physical weight that had been pushing down relentlessly for days had been lifted from my shoulders. The result of its sudden removal was buoyancy! Running had never felt so good! And I understood as never before why I needed to “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up” if I was ever going to seriously enjoy and succeed at running “with endurance the race God has set” for me.

Neil

Think It Through

1. During a long-distance race, what weights have you discarded to make running easier? When have you been tripped up or hindered by something you were wearing?

2. What signs do you have that you are entering or are in the serious stage of your life race?

3. What weights do you need to discard in order to run well?

4. What other steps can you take to “run with endurance” the race God has for you?

On Running

What is carbohydrate loading?

Carbohydrate loading is a way to increase carbohydrate stores prior to a long-distance or difficult race. Runners increase their intake of carbohydrates progressively the week before the race in order to build up energy stores to their fullest. Carbohydrate loading is not beneficial for non-racing runners. It should only be used by those engaging in long-duration or high-intensity/medium-duration exercise. It is mainly used as an ergogenic aid—something to enhance performance.