Falling Far Behind || 11.12.2022

There’s something to say when it comes to running the race. It’s supposed to build endurance, make you challenging, and give you the energy to keep going. I can tell you this, though, I’m tired of running. I’m tired of keeping pace with others who seem to be sprinting past me and doing laps around me. This race isn’t building endurance for me, but it’s tiring me, it’s frustrating me. Seeing others succeed in this race makes me want to give up. I do from time to time. It’s easier to sit on the track and not move than to still find the energy to continue running. I’m not moving anywhere. It’s easier to sit on the sidelines and cheer others forward. Then I see those people get further ahead in life, and I realize that I’m just falling farther behind, and the cycle begins anew.

I see the verse, “When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that litany of hostility he plowed through. THAT will shoot adrenaline into your system.”

It feels easy to look back at Jesus’ life and what he went through to get to the point of being sacrificed on the cross and then going through that sacrifice and just things that happened. Yet, I looked at that verse and started thinking about the countless cases of verbal abuse, physical abuse, bullying, mocking, and other horrible things that Jesus went through. Jesus never wavered. The human side of Jesus was ready to give up based on his prayer in the Garden, but the heavenly side of Jesus knew what the plan was and knew that God needed him to run that last leg of the race.

As a 26-year-old college graduate with student loan debt, he still lives at home and has no car or social life. It’s been effortless for me to sit back on Facebook and watch my friends have a successful life, feeling like they are lapping me on the track. It’s effortless to submit to the art of comparison and feel inadequate, behind, and worthless. However, the unknown author in Hebrews says to go over Jesus’ story again. Go line by line, read through all the stuff Jesus went through, and see that Jesus came out victorious in glory. This fact means I’m eligible for glory. This fact means God’s still working on me. God’s just getting started with me. This motivator means I have to lace up my shoes and get ready to go again. The race is rough. The race is exhausting. The race is hard. Yet, the goal is worth all of that. I remember that Jesus tells us that following him will never be easy.

Running this race is hard, no matter where we are on track. I want to close by simply stating that when you feel like giving up, remind yourself why you entered this race from the start. Remember the running partner you have in Jesus and what he went through to win the race. Let that fuel you to race through today, tomorrow, and forever.