"I wish I could know if we are sprinting a short race or running a marathon." It was the only answer I had when my dad asked me how we were doing. He was standing across from me, with Beckett in his hospital crib between us. It was last September - about a week after Beckett had been trached and only a few days past one of his desatting scares in which nearly a dozen medical staff flooded his room in the NICU to help him recover. "I think you've already been sprinting a marathon," he responded.
I felt a weight lift immediately. It was freeing to have him affirm that this journey had already been long, heavy, and hard. Freeing to have my pain acknowledged. Freedom to call it a marathon, to slow down and pace myself.
Last weekend our little family was able to participate in our local marathon and the events included. Brody ran in a youth fun run. His little three-year-old legs pedaled out a full mile. He wasn't the fasted but he was steady, enjoyed his time, and finished with a big smile. It was such a joy to experience this right alongside him. He is so proud of his medal and has talked about "the run" every day since.
The back of every medal given at all Fargo Marathon races has a verse on the back. "...let us run with perseverence the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1) I think about this verse often as life certainly has felt like a grueling marathon for over a year. What does it mean to run this marathon called "Life"?
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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him, who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV
There is so much going on here - way more than I'll go into but a couple things really stand out to me. The first word is greatly significant. "Therefore" implies that what was written before is connected to what is coming in the following verses. Looking back we find Hebrews 11 which is a chapter in Scripture that is often referred to as the "Hall of Fame of Faith". It is a list of forefathers that are remembered for their great faith that endured: Noah, Abraham, and Moses might be some of the most heard of but the list includes several others as well. It is interesting that the highlighted character quality is faith as a lead-in to 12:1-3 which tells us about how to run the race of Life.
The word faith has a rich history that has been lost over time in our culture's corrosion of origin meanings. Follow me for a second:
According to Webster's Dictionary today, faith is defined as "firm belief in something for which there is no proof". This is concerning because when we use the word faith today, people assume it means putting your hope/trust in something that has no proof. Very problematic. Pistis - trust, confidence in, assurance. Fides - trust, confidence, reliance, belief. Anytime we see faith in the New Testament, we must use these definitions to accurately understand the context and meaning of the passage. Faith in the New Testament is a firm assurance and absolute trust in that which is true and proven. The author of Hebrews beckons us to hold strong onto faith in order that we may persevere. Our journeys of Life will undoubtedly have even terrain, steep mountains, pleasant valleys, etc.; it is imperative that we place our faith on the only solid foundation - He is the only one that can sustain us to be able to keep on. We have the perfect example of faith to look to in Christ. It is He that we are running towards, it is He that motivates us to keep on in the race of Life.
I am not an experienced marathon runner but any avid marathoner would be able to tell you that it is important to wear clothes you don't care about as your outer layers. As you run, you will want to delayer and it is best to wear items that you don't really care about because you will not get it back once you peel it off and throw it to the ground as if it were trash. In ancient Greek athletics the word ogkon is used meaning to throw off, specifically, weight or burden that which would impede upon them from succeeding in their competition. Ogkon is used in this passage in the original Greek. So what does it mean to "throw off" everything in the race of Life?
It's interesting that the passage says to throw off "everything that hinders AND sin that so easily entangles". I don't think it is unreasonable to assume that the author of Hebrews is telling us to throw off two categories of things. Sin seems easy to understand - anything that is actively against or passively indifferent towards God. But what are things that hinder, other than sin? I can quickly see things in my life that aren't sin in-and-of-themselves but can hinder my pursuit of Christ. Knowing myself, the things in life that aren't sin in-and-of-themselves but hinder me do actually become sin as I deviate from the direction of the race's finish line and detour to run towards other things - making things idols as I prioritize them before the Lord. Things like wanting to be the "perfect" mom, time spent looking at home decor on Pinterest, demanding "me time" to be refreshed. A desire to be a God-honoring parent, using money within our allotted budget to decorate our home, and needing time to rest are not sin and actually are great ambitions. It is when I allow these things to consume me; they kick the Lord out of His rightful place in my life. Lord, may I be quick to throw off these things that weigh me down and impede upon my ability to run the race well. May your Spirit make me aware of things that hinder and sin that entangles, cause me to call it what it is, confess to you Lord (and others), claim your forgiveness, repent, and invite people to pray for me in these areas.
I noticed that Brody's pace actually picked up at the end of the mile. He saw the big inflatable "Finish" arch and it motivated him to dig deep. He was excited to accomplish that which he had come to do. I pray that this would be true of me in the race of Life by fixing my eyes on the finish line, it would enable me to press on.
I'll Keep On by NF
Be blessed.
I felt a weight lift immediately. It was freeing to have him affirm that this journey had already been long, heavy, and hard. Freeing to have my pain acknowledged. Freedom to call it a marathon, to slow down and pace myself.
Last weekend our little family was able to participate in our local marathon and the events included. Brody ran in a youth fun run. His little three-year-old legs pedaled out a full mile. He wasn't the fasted but he was steady, enjoyed his time, and finished with a big smile. It was such a joy to experience this right alongside him. He is so proud of his medal and has talked about "the run" every day since.
The back of every medal given at all Fargo Marathon races has a verse on the back. "...let us run with perseverence the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1) I think about this verse often as life certainly has felt like a grueling marathon for over a year. What does it mean to run this marathon called "Life"?
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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him, who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV
There is so much going on here - way more than I'll go into but a couple things really stand out to me. The first word is greatly significant. "Therefore" implies that what was written before is connected to what is coming in the following verses. Looking back we find Hebrews 11 which is a chapter in Scripture that is often referred to as the "Hall of Fame of Faith". It is a list of forefathers that are remembered for their great faith that endured: Noah, Abraham, and Moses might be some of the most heard of but the list includes several others as well. It is interesting that the highlighted character quality is faith as a lead-in to 12:1-3 which tells us about how to run the race of Life.
The word faith has a rich history that has been lost over time in our culture's corrosion of origin meanings. Follow me for a second:
- New Testament Greek is a noun, pistis.
- Pistis translated into Latin is fides.
- Fides translated into English is trust, or faith.
According to Webster's Dictionary today, faith is defined as "firm belief in something for which there is no proof". This is concerning because when we use the word faith today, people assume it means putting your hope/trust in something that has no proof. Very problematic. Pistis - trust, confidence in, assurance. Fides - trust, confidence, reliance, belief. Anytime we see faith in the New Testament, we must use these definitions to accurately understand the context and meaning of the passage. Faith in the New Testament is a firm assurance and absolute trust in that which is true and proven. The author of Hebrews beckons us to hold strong onto faith in order that we may persevere. Our journeys of Life will undoubtedly have even terrain, steep mountains, pleasant valleys, etc.; it is imperative that we place our faith on the only solid foundation - He is the only one that can sustain us to be able to keep on. We have the perfect example of faith to look to in Christ. It is He that we are running towards, it is He that motivates us to keep on in the race of Life.
I am not an experienced marathon runner but any avid marathoner would be able to tell you that it is important to wear clothes you don't care about as your outer layers. As you run, you will want to delayer and it is best to wear items that you don't really care about because you will not get it back once you peel it off and throw it to the ground as if it were trash. In ancient Greek athletics the word ogkon is used meaning to throw off, specifically, weight or burden that which would impede upon them from succeeding in their competition. Ogkon is used in this passage in the original Greek. So what does it mean to "throw off" everything in the race of Life?
It's interesting that the passage says to throw off "everything that hinders AND sin that so easily entangles". I don't think it is unreasonable to assume that the author of Hebrews is telling us to throw off two categories of things. Sin seems easy to understand - anything that is actively against or passively indifferent towards God. But what are things that hinder, other than sin? I can quickly see things in my life that aren't sin in-and-of-themselves but can hinder my pursuit of Christ. Knowing myself, the things in life that aren't sin in-and-of-themselves but hinder me do actually become sin as I deviate from the direction of the race's finish line and detour to run towards other things - making things idols as I prioritize them before the Lord. Things like wanting to be the "perfect" mom, time spent looking at home decor on Pinterest, demanding "me time" to be refreshed. A desire to be a God-honoring parent, using money within our allotted budget to decorate our home, and needing time to rest are not sin and actually are great ambitions. It is when I allow these things to consume me; they kick the Lord out of His rightful place in my life. Lord, may I be quick to throw off these things that weigh me down and impede upon my ability to run the race well. May your Spirit make me aware of things that hinder and sin that entangles, cause me to call it what it is, confess to you Lord (and others), claim your forgiveness, repent, and invite people to pray for me in these areas.
 |
| Brody fixated on the finish line. |
In the end, it doesn't matter our pace or place; it is important to realize that Life is an endurance race, a marathon, not a 50-yard dash. Some legs we might have it in us to sprint, others we may barely be making any forward progress. It is essential, however, that we keep the faith, throw off that which hinders and sin that entangles, and not lose heart. A successful runner always keeps his eye on the prize - the prize of being fully reunited with Christ at the finish line and the prize of sanctification or holiness (becoming life Christ) along the way. Remembering this truth allows us to not lost heart, particularly in stretches of weariness.
I noticed that Brody's pace actually picked up at the end of the mile. He saw the big inflatable "Finish" arch and it motivated him to dig deep. He was excited to accomplish that which he had come to do. I pray that this would be true of me in the race of Life by fixing my eyes on the finish line, it would enable me to press on.  |
Proud Parents |
***
Enjoy a favorite song of mine on my drives to and from the hospital last year.I'll Keep On by NF
Be blessed.
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