“Stay in Your Lane”
By Kari Lyles
“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.”
1 Corinthians 9:24
“Stay in your lane,” one of the coaches shouted as my 7-year-old daughter and I approached the track. She was taking part in a children’s track camp at Arrowhead High School, my alma mater, and I found myself at once flooded with memories. This very track is where my Christian walk began.By Kari Lyles
“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.”
1 Corinthians 9:24
The fall of my junior year, as we ran a mile during gym class, a friend told me she had a personal relationship with God. I was in awe and intrigued as to how God could “speak to her.” She gave me a few Bible verses and one day after school, I curiously opened a Bible. The foundation of faith that had been laid by my parents came alive in a new way. A few months later, I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. The God I only had believed in was real.
Now, several years and experiences later, I found myself on that track again and hearing “stay in your lane,” made me smile a secret smile. 1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “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.”
A dear friend once used “stay in your lane” as an analogy to stay focused on Jesus and do the right thing when I felt I was being tested. “You know where you need to be and what you need to do, stay in your lane,” she advised.
Sisters, we need to “stay in our lane” when the temptations of life try to get us off track. When our pride is hurt and we want to gossip. When we’re up against a wall and think about lying rather than telling the truth. When anger convinces us that lashing out is better than taking it to the Lord.
By staying in our lane, we stay focused on Christ, our true prize. There’s no one else I would
rather see at the finish line.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Is there anything in your life that is getting you “off track” in your walk with the Lord? What will you have to do to get back “on track” to stay focused on Christ?
FURTHER READING:
Acts 20:24; 2 Timothy 4:7; Galatians 5:7
Kari is a wife, mother to two girls, and has her own marketing consulting business. Kari is involved in Oakwood's drama ministry.
