Persevere!
By Susan Klein
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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
Riding the exercise bike at the fitness center, I had my MP3 player tuned in to the news station being televised on the screen in front of me. (Watching it relieves some of the monotony of pedaling my heart out for 30 minutes while going nowhere!)By Susan Klein
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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
“We are in a real recession, folks!” pronounced the newscaster. “Jobless rates have hit a new high, as have bankruptcy filings,” he continued. And then followed the reports of the national deficit that keeps climbing, taking us deeper into debt. It was depressing! I wanted to get off the bike and run down the sidewalk to drown my sorrows in a white chocolate mocha at Le Café Bistro. But I didn’t. I tuned out the TV, tuned in to some praise music, and biked with my eyes closed.
We are in an age of uncertainty, to be sure. There is no guarantee that we will still have a job tomorrow, that our retirement funds will remain intact, or that there will be any money left in Social Security when it comes time for us to draw on it. Our air and water quality continue to worsen, and health care choices may soon be out of our hands altogether. So, what do we do about it?
Well, as I see it, we have only one option. We RUN! I’m not talking “head for the hills!” kind of running, or abandoning the bike for the coffee shop, but getting up and running the race marked out for us with every fiber of our beings. We don’t give up on that job we hate, or the marriage that is so unfulfilling, or the wayward son that has strayed so far that we don’t know how he’ll get back. We ENDURE with the steadfastness that God is trying to build in our lives. We accept that this is where He has us and believe that He is running with us. And every bump on the path just serves to strengthen our running legs!
When life has you down, and you’re tempted to cry, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Don’t just get up, get up and run! Put on your running shoes and fly like the wind until you get to the finish line! The prize will be so worth it!
GOING DEEPER:
1. What obstacles are keeping you from running the race?
2. Hand off any hindrances or confess any sins to God and trust that He has taken them away from you. Then, get up and get back in the race. RUN!
FURTHER READING:
James 1:12; 5:11
Susan is a wife and mother of two. She is the Coordinator of Oakwood’s Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and one of its teachers.
