Competing in the Race

How many times have you heard Paul quoted from Philippians regarding the race that we are to run? Philippians 3:13-14  No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. If you are like me you have heard it more than you can count. It is certainly a scripture on which we ourselves will often reflect when life gets difficult.  But there are aspects to racing that we inadvertently include in our thought processes that are not necessarily correct in this instance.  Paul was speaking to an audience that "got" athleticism.  It had grown exponentially under Roman rule and the athletic games were all consuming especially in the pagan society.  People understood and even embraced the importance of image and being able to compete in the games that convened frequently.  Just as Jesus did when He was speaking to the crowds, Paul chose analogies with which they could easily identify.  Being a winner in Roman games brought accolades and fame.  However was this what Paul was trying to convey?

A recurrent theme throughout the writings of Paul is the importance of how we live our lives.   Take his advice to Timothy in 1Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.  Paul was advocating individual responsibility for our lives.  We are to be examples in all that we do and say.  How about the advice to the church at Ephesus, Ephesians 5:15-17 So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.  So how does this relate back to the race? 

What do you visualize when you think of a race?  Competition is the first thing that comes to my mind.  Who  has to be overcome in order to win the prize?  How good are they?  What are their strengths and weaknesses?  What are mine as a competitor?  What happens if I lose?  (Big issue for me which is exactly why I hate to compete in anything!) Another thing that comes to mind is an all out effort.  You put everything on the line - all of your energy, all of your strength.  Whether it is a team race or an individual race, there is this attitude of pulling out all of the stops.  Sometimes this very perspective leads to disaster.  NASCAR racing comes to mind.  My sweet husband introduced me to this sport and laughs when I exclaim at the end, "They are just like a bunch of little boys waiting until the last minute to go to the bathroom and disaster strikes!"  There is inevitably a mass multiple car pile up at the end that does not include the winner.  There is a sense of desperation at the very end of the race.  Are any of these aspects what Paul was conveying to us?

Perhaps some aspects of a true athletic race are relevant.  One we must endure to the end of the race.  Quitting mid stream will not cut it.  Quitting leaves us vulnerable to the wiles of the adversary.  Enduring leaves him trying to catch up to us and eventually failing altogether.  Hebrews 12:1 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 hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. Think of the first time marathoner.  The only goal he/she has in mind is to complete the race.  Endurance is critical and the accomplishment in completing every mile of the race is the thought that enables perseverance.

We are first time marathoners in this race called Christian life.  We have one life to live and one race to run to the glory of Christ.  There will be countless distractions as we run this race but there is a huge crowd of witnesses watching us run.  Some will encourage us, provide refreshment along the way and aid us if we fall.  Others will be rooting for the adversary to succeed in tripping us up, in slowing us down, in getting us to quit the race.  These "hecklers in the crowd" do not want us to complete this race.  The last thing they want is for us to receive the prize of eternal life with our glorious Jehovah.  

There is another aspect to the marathon that is very relevant to our personal race.  Marathoners have a tendency to encourage each other along the way.  For the vast majority of them running the race and completing it is the goal, perhaps bettering their own personal time.  If being the first one to cross the finish line was the motivation there would not be thousands running in the major marathons every season.  Being a marathoner is an exclusive "club" to which many aspire to belong.  Once in the club, there is a mutual admiration from others who have succeeded because each individual knows the cost to belong. Isn't this a lot like being a Believer?

My brothers and sisters, we are in an exclusive club, but one whose membership is open to the world.   However, if the invitation is accepted then endurance is expected.  This is a tough race we are running.  The race course belongs to the adversary (remember we are not of this world, just in it).  He knows all of the turns in the road and especially the ones to which we are most vulnerable.  He watches and sees when our energy is depleted and when our vision is hindered; then he strikes.  We have the responsibility of encouraging each other, holding each other up when the going gets really tough and even picking each other up when one of us falls.  Falling in the race is not cause for terminating the race.  Failing to get up and push on however will make it very difficult to finish the race we have started.  You have to be up and moving forward to finish the race.  Let each of us examine our own lives and determine how to run it better, run it stronger and endure to the end!