Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1 NLT.

For the past several weeks, the pastors at Life Church have been focusing on the above scripture. Some thoughts have surfaced as I have meditated on this life-changing verse.

1. We are not alone. We are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses. They are with us. Heaven is full of people who know we can run our race. They are urging us on—they did it, and so can we. In 2014, my son-in-law, Timothy Haslet, and his twin brother, David, ran the Boston Marathon for his sister, one of the bombing victims. My daughter, their children and myself all traveled to Boston to cheer them on. Because of the length of the race and the young ages of their children, we watched from our rooms, getting updates along the way. Even though they couldn’t hear us from the roadside, they knew we were there. We prayed, encouraged and celebrated their finish. For various reasons, Tim wasn’t as prepared as he should have been and needed some health support after. It cost him something to run, but they ran this race out of love and support for their sister Adrienne. My friends, when cheer others on, it is good for us as well.,

2. The Stripping Part. Let us strip off every weight that slow us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. What comes to mind when you think about excess baggage? I think about mental weights. Discouragement (both in myself and others), disappointments in ourselves and others, false assumptions (it’s too hard, I’ll never make it) and false or wrong expectations. These are some of the mind weights that have either slowed me down, or try to cause me to veer off track. I have to deal with them, or else I can’t run my race as God intends…and neither can you.

After my daughter-in-law’s cancer diagnosis in May, my life got even busier. I was already running tired, enough, so I actually had gone to my doctor to see if there was a problem. Part of my mind said, “you can’t do this”, the other part said, “you have no choice”. After a long talk with the Lord, asking for His strength and help, we began helping with the chemo journey by helping with childcare. I was determined to serve them cheerfully, not begrudgingly. I marvel at how much stronger I feel today than I did back in June. Instead of it wearing me down and out, I have more stamina! It wasn’t always easy, but we made it. The memories we made were so worth it. I had to strip off the thought that I couldn’t do it and replace it with “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. As I did, joy came, which of course strengthened me!

Another thing I had to strip off was the “what ifs”. What if I can’t do it? What if one of my grandchildren gets hurt etc… I had to strip those thoughts off as well. I decided, as I trusted God and His strength, I could/would also trust Him to keep everyone safe and give me ideas to keep them happy and engaged. It worked! Getting rid of bad thoughts leaves room for God’s creativity and faith to flow. It is amazing how helpful the Holy Spirit is when we allow Him to be!

Is there an area that you need to change your perspective? The word “strip” means to “leave bare of all accessories or fittings”. There is a definite, deliberate action required and implied in the meaning. What do you need to “strip” from your life? Take action, today.

3. The Holy Spirit’s job is to convict us of sin. This is one area we usually run away from, or try to cover up. When we strip off the weights, what is left will be revealed. The sins of pride, envy, jealousy or gossip show up. Unbelief, fear or immaturity are uncovered, and need to be dealt with. He does this because He loves us, not to shame or discredit us. There is so much freedom that comes when we repent and start afresh.

4. Then we must run…. with endurance. This means we hold our ground when we battle headwinds. The enemy of our soul will fight against our running. He does not want us to run, much less win. Making sure once we strip off the weights, we add on His armor. This armor, instead of weighing us down, will actually cause us to run with more purpose and win. It will help us bear up against any adversity we encounter.

5. Our associate pastor, Josh Hubbard, shared about “drafting” that running or cycling racers have learned about. Drafting, or “slipstreaming” is a technique that runners can use to save energy by running directly behind the lead runner. As I listened to his message, I thought about Jesus being our front runner. When we stay close to Him, we save energy. He knows the speed we need to run and has already mapped out our race. Besides Him, we follow those that are following Him and we can actually have the energy to run with endurance. Running alone is tiring, boring and leaves you more susceptible to wanting to quit. My dear friends, run with Jesus and His people. They will help you cross your finish line, and you can help them. Christians who burn out or quit their race often choose to “do it alone”. It is not the way God intended us to run. Find your team.

6. Keep your eye on the prize. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:14. NLT. Press on is another action word. It implies endurance, but also intention. It is a decision we must make. My brother-in-law has run many races. In order for him to run in a particular race, he decides and then registers, pays any fee involved and then shows up on race day at the appointed time and runs. If we want to run our race, we must also register by surrendering to Him. The cost is obedience to His will. It can seem high, but it is always worth it, if we keep our eye on the prize. Mike, my brother-in-law, has a wall full of awards and ribbons. Each representing the hard work he put in for training. There are some races that require certain qualifications, like the Boston Marathon. His number, his certificate and his ribbon have a special place on his wall, but compared to the prize we are running for, it is worth far less.

6. The Holy Spirit and God’s Word are both our trainer and our coach. Listen and apply their instruction and you will win your race as well. Please do not get discouraged. Keep running your race. Drink fully of His living water. Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28. Please remember in this race, we have quiet resting places and opportunities to get replenished. If you are growing discouraged, take time to talk with Him. Share your concerns and then take HIS yoke upon you. Let HIM teach you, because HE is humble and gently at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For HIS yoke is easy to bear, and the burden HE gives you is light. (I capitalized the changes I made in substituting His for the scriptural I/my).

My friends, I know I have not always run with my eye on the prize, or with the thought of winning. I look back and see my running was more like a slug, crawling along on my belly. But, by God’s grace, He has always helped me come back from distractions and get rid of any added weights because I asked for His help. Don’t let our enemy rob you of the joy of running in this race. There is nothing like being a part of His team. He will show you how to fit your “life” into His race. You have the time and ability to run the race He has laid out for you, and do it well.

Father, please help us keep our eyes fixed on You and the prize set before us. Forgive us for trying to run with extra weights and even the sin that so easily trips us up. I thank you for teaching us how to run our particular race, in Jesus’ Name, amen.

Therefore, encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT.

Over the past five months, workers have been re-building and restoring a mess in my back room. It has taken much longer than any of us wanted because of water damage that went undetected for years. This past week they finished their portion. We polished and sealed the concrete to prevent any potential future issues. It feels so good to get to this point.

However, we still aren’t finished. My contractor told me in the beginning that he doesn’t do finishing work…like taping and mudding. He said, “I am just not good at it!”. So as grateful as I am that we have an enclosed room, with insulation, drywall and windows…I still can’t set up the room for use. It is not finished. The future use is closer than before, but it isn’t complete.

In the back of my mind, I always knew we would get it done, but it has taken so much longer than expected because of the greater damage that had been done, I had to work on keeping myself encouraged. My contractor had other jobs to complete, but did his best to accommodate mine. It just has taken time. It happens with people as well.

We might expect our children to understand life’s basics before they actually do. I remember when my firstborn was almost two, and I was expecting her to know she was to sit still and be quiet during church services. I said, “you know you are supposed to be quiet”. The Holy Spirit stopped me quickly, and said “when do you think she learned that?”. I realized I had never taken the time to teach her! It was a sudden realization that she wasn’t born with my knowledge and insight. Someone (me), had to teach her. God wants to teach us new things as He builds in us His character and wisdom, but we must be teachable and submit to Him as our teacher if we want the ultimate benefit and results.

As I watched the rebuilding process of my room, I realized there were definite steps he had to take to get to the final result I wanted and was paying for! Who knew we needed to put in French drains–what did that have to do with my room? I learned that the outside drainage of my home affects the inside. I had to trust his knowledge of building and codes were up to date and he knew what he was doing. Are you trusting God’s building work in your life? Is He working in an area of your life you thought should already be finished? If you are upset about it, it probably means you are quite perfected in that area, right?

My room isn’t done. I could decide to “make do” with it the way it is, but ultimately, no amount of decorating would cover an unfinished room. It is the same with God’s work in us. He, the master builder, is the one who decides when His work is finished in us. I may think I have enough fruit of the Spirit to get by and He begins to dig about, prune and fertilize areas I think are ok. Do I work with Him? Or do I get frustrated and try to avoid His digging?

A few years ago, my grandson took a class in shed building through our Home Connections Homeschooling program. This included learning how to tape and mud drywall joints. He gets to practice his skills on my room. I am not expecting a professional job, but I do expect him to do a decent one. These are skills that will help him later in life, and minimally will create memories for both of us.

We are all under construction. Do not grow weary in your construction or in the construction of others around you. Keep on encouraging each other and building one another up. You won’t regret it. A few years ago I prayed for a young man whose art work I saw in a school hallway. I prayed for his future and God’s will and direction. This is the young man who worked in my room. I had asked many others, but this was the one who said “yes”. Only our God knew my need and his.

Be encouraged, my friends, no matter what is going on in your life. Our God sees, hears, and is working good things for your present and your future. It is not easy, nor was it promised to be so, but it is going to be good.

Father, I trust you to finish the good work you have begun in all our lives. Help us work with you, not against what you are trying to do. We trust you. Make us into your image, not our own thoughts of what we think that should be. In Jesus‘ name, amen.