Running the Race

As I drive to work, I am often met with heavy tractor-trailers with a "wide load" sign across the end of the rig, moving slowly up and down the West Virginia hills.  Often these mammoth trucks have escort cars leading the way with yellow warning lights to alert others of the slow moving convoy.  These cars have poles raised to the height of the truck and its load so they will know if approaching overpasses will prove to be a problem and force the convoy off its planned path.  As the truck lumbers along the highway, other trucks and cars are forced to move farther away to avoid being clipped by the extra wide contents.  Many Christians try to run the race of the Christian life like these trucks--over burdened by sin and things of life which keep them from running as swiftly as they could.   

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 NIV)

A few years ago I led a youth weekend retreat called "Running the Race" with Hebrews 12:1-2 as the theme verse.  We went to a ten-thousand acre Christian retreat center called Faith Ranch in Scio, Ohio.  As we arrived, we gave each teen a painter's bucket and told them the rules of the event.  Each time they grumbled, complained, or showed disrespect to each other or an adult leader,they would get a load of lava rocks for their buckets.  They were required to carry these buckets 24 hours a day and if they tried to abandon the bucket, more rocks.  If they went to the bathroom--the bucket was with them.  If they went to bed--the bucket was with them.  The only place it did not go was on the horseback rides, but, they were placed at the entrance to the corral waiting for them when they finished.  As they left they had to pick up the ever increasing volume of rocks in their buckets--they were of course--teenagers. On Saturday night at the foot of a cross erected at the retreat center, we showed them it was not just sin which could come between them and the Lord.  These things, such as friends, family, technology, and even church activities, could hinder or slow ithem down in the Christian's race as a teenager. We had a prayer for these things and they laid the rocks at the foot of the cross and the word, FORGIVEN, was written on the bottom of the bucket and given to each student. The burdens of sin or the things of this world weigh us down and prevent us from running as we should.     

In the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Tanzanian runner John Stephen Ahkwari was the last runner in the marathon.  He came in about an hour and a half after the winner, practically carrying his leg, as it was so bloodied and bandaged. He was asked,  “Why did you keep going?” He said, “You don’t understand. My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start a race, they sent me to finish it.”(SpeedEndurance.com)  God did not save us to start the Christian race but to finish it and we need to make sure we run the race well and not lumber along.