Run to Win

by: Chic Broersma

The website Runner’s World provides tips for runners. I like this one: “It pays to look ahead, beyond what’s immediately in front of you.” For Christians, this means we should be involved in this world but always look ahead to heaven, our goal.

Here’s another tip: “You’re less likely to slip if you stay relaxed.” For a Christian, it’s a matter of achieving that delicate balance between pressing on and being relaxed; between living each day with discipline and awareness and at the same time living with the calm faith of one who knows the victory crown is assured.

And one more: “If you focus on obstacles, you’re more likely to hit them.” As Christians we want to “lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely.” We deal with the obstacles of losing our vision, of getting sidetracked by unworthy desires, of having earthbound goals. We need to strive to keep our focus on “Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,” rather than on the things of this world.

Some years ago an American track and field runner disgraced herself by admitting to the use of banned drugs. She was the only runner to ever win five gold medals in a single Olympics. Now she was stripped of her medals and her records erased from record books.

The prize you and I seek is far greater than gold. So stay focused. Don’t cheat. Follow the rules.