Feb 20, 2019
By Abigail Moore
Next Step Church
Thornton, CO
The first time that I had ever experienced long distance running was during my sixth grade year when my friends and I joined the track team and we signed up for the one-mile run. Before this I had always thought of myself as more of a sprinter. Once I tried the mile, something in the back of my mind seemed to click. I loved it! The following year I joined my school’s first ever cross country team. Since then, running has become a large part of who I am; it helps to keep me active and happy.
Although many runs are a lot of fun, there are some runs that challenge me to the point where it is no longer only a physical challenge but a mental one as well. My mind has to discipline my legs to keep going through the aches and my feet to continue moving despite them resenting the harsh pounding of the ground. For me, the physical and mental challenge of running is one of the best feelings I have experienced for two reasons: One: the feeling of pushing through exhaustion. I love to push myself beyond what I thought was possible, growing my mental and physical toughness and learning that next time I can go faster and farther. I’ve learned I need to push myself through difficult conditions in order to grow. Two: the finish line. Deep into the race my muscles are screaming at me to stop and my limbs are shaking and begging me to give in to the temptation to quit. At this point, I’m confronted with the choices to slow down (I’ll still finish and it will be so much easier!), take a break (what do 30 seconds matter anyway?), or to even quit the race (well, I guess at least I tried). But knowing the sweet celebration of the finish line is coming keeps me going! It feels so much better when
I cross the finish line strong and finally get the break my mind and body crave. It is such a
triumphant feeling! I’ve learned to push through the distractions of temptation and settle for nothing less than finishing well.
The refusal to stop running in a race is similar to resisting temptations in life’s race. I see my runs as a parallel to my race on the path to God. The desire to stop is sometimes tempting. But the
finish line, my desire for God, is my goal.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says, 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. I hope and pray that I “run in such a way as to get the prize,” the true prize of eternity with Jesus. I will admit that I like the look of my running bibs and ribbons on my bedroom wall, but I know that these are “crowns that will not last.”
The run will get harder the farther we go, and there will be potholes and mud slowing us
down, but we cannot allow these traps to trip us up. Temptation makes it seem like
a good idea at the time to quit or to give up. Temptation infects our thoughts and tells us lies, causing us to make bad decisions. These decisions have consequences both on earth and in heaven. They are burdensome; they hurt; and they make it harder to get back up and start the race again. We will all trip at some point in our race, maybe even faceplant! But staying down is not an option. We must get back up. We must push ourselves beyond what we thought was possible. We must leave everything out on the field. We must look up from the ground and see the finish line, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the finish and I desire Him above all else.
