A Meditation on Hebrews 12:1-3

1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up. (Hebrews 12:1-3 CSB)

Do we forget the many that came before us who responded in faith? Their testimony under trials bear witness to what I too can endure. Their faithful journey encourages my own.

They could not run their race bound up in rags of sin. Neither can I. They become too weighty for this runner. I must cut the ties to sin. Rip off the clothes that no longer fit the life I have in Christ.

For I am facing a very long race. I only finish with eyes fixed on the tape. The tape that reads, “Finished, Well Done.”

God has prearranged the course with clearly marked lanes. My responsibility lies in the running.

I stay in my own lane. For God has laid the path for each that pleases him. I waste precious time comparing my course to others.

Equally wasted is the time I throw away when I procrastinate, worry, and fear. Or spend my energy in fighting back, resisting his will, in place of unrelenting trust.

Therefore, I yield.

For whom other than Christ would I dare surrender to? Who would you?

I commit this life to you, Lord. I commit to trust, no matter the journey. Embedded within my thoughts is the Savior’s resign to the Father’s will. To suffer for the sins of humankind. He endured that he might obtain his rightful place at the throne of God. A throne of joy already secured for him.

I, too, encounter numerous battles as I brave a sinful world. I position my life in him. Otherwise, I will quit. I will quit. My body grow too weak and tired. My heart faded.

For, gratefully, I am not the author of my faith. He alone perfects what I lack. He alone grants me the strength to keep running!