All on the Field: A Good Athlete—Having Discipline - Friday
Hebrews 12:1b
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (NLT)
One of my very favorite pictures is a black and white one of my dad crossing a finish line at a race back in high school. A tall, slender kid straining all his muscles to break the tape and win the race. He finished his “race” on April 24, 2013, and a few days later, it was the picture I used at the conclusion of his funeral to encourage those of us still running the race to run with endurance.
Life is hard. There are some days filled with joy and laughter, but it’s still hard. It often seems like we move from one storm to another, so endurance is an important word. My mom is battling Parkinson’s, and there are really no good days. Only days with varying degrees of difficulty. Many of you are experiencing something similar or are witnessing a loved one endure pain. There are no answers, just grinding endurance. Grinding endurance is grit.
We’ve likely all heard the catchy little song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” I like that song, but it only lasts 4 minutes and 52 seconds. After the song is over, you are still left with more bills than money, more sick days than healthy ones, more rebellion from your kids, or more shame from habitual sin. What the writer of Hebrews knew, what Paul shared with Timothy, and what Jesus showed us on the cross is that it takes endurance. It takes grit.
In Mark Moore’s excellent study Core 52, he says this: “Grit empowers you to live life ‘like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.’ It’s the single most important factor in success.” Success in the Christian life isn’t acquiring the most wealth, fame, power, influence, or notoriety—it is found in “finishing the race.”
Friday’s Reflection
Whether the finish line is in view or years and years away, take a moment to envision what it looks like for you to finish the race and win the prize—life in the new heavens and new earth, united with our Heavenly Father and all the faithful saints that have gone on before us.
