Just Keep Running

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” - Hebrews 12:1.

In the first verses that I blogged about (1 Corinthians 9:24-25), Paul explains that this life is the equivalent to running a race.  Everyone competes in the race and will receive one of two prizes at the finish line:  one “that will not last” and one “that will last forever” (1 Cor 9:25).   Through Jesus, we can receive the everlasting crown of life.  As I mentioned, I have already received this amazing prize; however, every day I get to continue sprinting toward this crown of life. 

The Hebrews verse calls us to not only run with our eyes on the eternal prize, but to run with “perseverance.”  Simply because we have Jesus doesn’t mean the devil isn’t going to stop attempting to wreck havoc on our lives.  The devil is constantly trying to bring us down through lies, deceit, addiction, doubt, worry, temptation, and a whole slew of other methods.  No matter what roadblock, obstacle, or pothole is on our road, Jesus instructs us to keep the faith.  My bible defines perseverance as “standing firm in the faith.”  When a seemingly insurmountable obstacle is put in our path, we are called to press through by leaning on Christ’s strength, power, and hope.

This morning we began our off-ice testing with the shuttle test.  The shuttle test is designed to simulate our on-ice conditioning test and there’s no question it’s also designed to cause our body a ridiculous amount of pain.  The pain, fear of failure, and comparing ourselves to others are a few of the thoughts that can cripple us.  Even though we ran this exact test last Monday, I still felt these thoughts creeping in my mind as we walked in the gym.  But as we began our testing, I witnessed God’s strength shine through and was reminded, once again, of how we are free to run our race.

It was powerful witnessing my teammates “throw off everything that hinders” (Heb 12:1) and just run.   An awesome example of this was Kate.  As she stood on the line, her eyes were absolutely locked in on the task at hand.  It literally looked like an eagle’s eyes as it hunts its prey.  It was evident that she let go of everything that could hold her back and she was focused on sprinting full steam ahead.  And you know what?  She crushed it.  I felt Christ’s power by watching her sprint, push through the pain, and refuse to quit moving her feet.  The relentless determination that flooded from her was exactly what the Hebrews verse is talking about.  Persevere.  Keep the faith.  Just keep running.

That last sentence reminds me of Dory’s hilarious Finding Nemo quote, so I edited it for this message:  "Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills.  When life gets you down do you wanna know what you've gotta do?  [singing] Just keep running.  Just keep running.  Just keep running, running, running.  What do we do?  We run, run."

:)

My heart grew stronger today by practicing the skill of persevering.  The skill of letting go of negative thoughts and letting God free my heart to run towards Him. 

Let go, let God, and just keep running!

G.I.G.I.