All through the New Testament, the apostle Paul likens the Christian life to a race. I think this is a pretty accurate comparison in more ways than one. If you have ever competed in a race, you know there must be preparation so that you are ready and equipped on race day. You practice running in different weather conditions, on different terrain. You run a certain distance and then push your body to run farther. You reach a certain pace and then strive to go faster. You want your body and mind to be strengthened and prepared for the race. You equip yourself with the right clothes, depending on the weather, good running shoes, water and fuel for the race. We must do the same in our Christian journey.

Our Father God has laid out a specific ‘race’ for each of us and He expects us to prepare. To do this we must read and study God’s Word, hide it within our heart. He wants us to build that personal intimate relationship with Him. We need to be an active part of our church, take part in the Worship service, join a small group, be discipled, serve where the Lord leads. We are also told to equip ourselves by “putting on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-17). These things prepare and shape us for what is ahead.

I love to run. God has given me this hobby and I thoroughly enjoy it. There are days when everything lines up just right, the weather is perfect, the road is smooth, my endurance and stamina are so strong and the run just feels so easy. But not every day is like that. Sometimes the heat is so scorching, I can barely breathe or the cold so frigid, my muscles don’t want to work. There seems to be obstacle after obstacle and my endurance and stamina are non-existent. I feel as if I can’t go on and I just want to quit. This, too, is how our Christian life goes.

Some days everything is perfect and we soar through the day with a smile on our face. Praise God for those days!! But we all have those days that are not easy at all. Those moments when the pain, heartache, loss, loneliness, discouragement weigh so heavily on us that we can’t do anything but stop and cry out. You see, we as Christians, sometimes believe that once we are saved, life should just be easy. But Jesus tells us in the New Testament, “In this world you WILL have trouble, BUT, take heart, (don’t be discouraged, don’t lose hope) for I (Jesus) have overcome the world,” (John 16:33). God could easily give us everything we ask for. In the blink of an eye, He could absolutely make our life free of trials and struggles. But God, in His infinite wisdom, knows that is not ‘for our good and His glory’. It is in those dark nights and deep valleys of pain and suffering that we realize how desperately we need Him, how completely dependent we are upon Him. And when we need Him, we will seek Him. And when we seek Him, we will find Him. And when we find Him, we get to know Him. That makes it all worth it.

I don’t know what you are going through in your personal life. I don’t know the battles you are facing or the pain you are enduring, but God knows. He knows the race you are running and He is right there with you. In those moments when you have no strength left, He says, “Here, let me give you mine.” When you can’t take another breath, let alone another step, He says, “Let me carry you.” Look up, keep your eyes on the finish line because that is where the prize awaits. The prize that we are all running for, Jesus Christ. And that is the prize worth winning.