The Race

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  - Hebrews 12:1-2

I have never been an athlete – never even close. I am however a sports fan. I am not as fanatical as I once was, oh wait, there is the 6 Nations. I do get a little fanatical about that. Paul must have been something of a sports fan. He talked about boxing and athletics and races. I am not sure who wrote Hebrews, but this is another instance that makes me think he may have.

Paul writes about a race. It is a race apparently in a great arena, kind of like a modern sports stadium. In the stands around us are all those who have gone on before us. God has set us on a great race. That race is simply the life that we are called to live.

And just like athletes preparing for a race we have our instructions on how to run.

Lay aside your weights. This is pretty simple. Runners don’t run races carrying a whole bunch of weight (unless, of course, that is part of a special race J ). It is almost embarrassing to watch a modern Olympic race as the athletes strip down to the bare essentials. If we think that is bad, in the ancient Olympics and Roman Games the runners ran naked. The point is that runners lay aside everything they don’t need.

In our race we need to learn from these athletes. There are a lot of things that may not be sin, but instead may just be things we hold on to that slow us down in our own race. I think these are the things that Paul says are ‘not expedient.’ We shouldn’t have anything that is going to slow us down. We need to examine the extra things to see is they are hurting our race.

Then we are told to lay aside the sins that so easily beset us. We can’t allow those troublesome sins weigh us down. They have no power over – we choose to keep them and let them trouble us. It’s vital that we cast off those sins.

And finally it is a race we run with patience. We are not in a 100 metre dash. We are in it for the long haul. We don’t work in sprints. We plod along patiently.

At the end is the finish line – but that’s for tomorrow.