KEEP ON RUNNING | EMMA MALLORD
Now, I don’t like to run. I will only run in a severe emergency, like a desperate need for the loo, or away from a giant spider. I’m much more the tortoise character of the hare and tortoise fame. I will slowly plod along, hoping to get there eventually. You are very unlikely to see me racing there. One of my ‘plodding heroes’ is a guy called Lloyd Scott, who I would never have heard of, apart from the fact that he holds the world record for the slowest completed marathon! My kinda guy! Ok, so he did do the whole route in a metal diving suit that weighed 130lb. Ouch. And it took him the best part of 6 days. That is determination. That is tenacity.
So, knowing my aversion to running, I have been a bit perplexed that this week I have been drawn again and again to this passage from Hebrews 12:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
My first thought is “urghh running”. This does not appeal to me at all! But there are three things that are going to make this worth it for me, and hopefully for you. Three reasons why I should embrace this idea and not turn away from it.
Firstly, the most important thing here is who the race is for. We are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Jesus has been there before us. He knows what its like to struggle to keep going, to put one foot in front of the other, and to overcome physical pain whilst doing it. Jesus had to walk to the cross beaten and exhausted, carrying his own cross. He had to persevere, and he did that for us. He did it to free us from sin and to gather us back into a right relationship with God. So, now as we persevere on our journey, we are to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, joyfully knowing that he has set us free and made us welcome. He has made a way for us straight to God, and that truly is a route worth running.
Secondly, we need to know that we are not alone. We have Jesus before us, but we are also surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. One of the great things about a marathon, or a similar race is the enthusiasm and support of the crowd. People line the streets and cheer and shout encouragements, urging the runners to keep going. They are there at strategic points along the route with refreshments and applause giving a boost to spur those running on to the next point and the next point, not stopping until they get to the end. After the majority of runners have completed their task the crowds tend to drift away, so for Lloyd he had to complete much of his marathon with a few faithful supporters and the odd TV camera crew. But as he reached the last stretch, the crowds were back in full force. Urging him on, encouraging to take one more step, then one more, making every step he had laboured for five and a half days’ worth it, worth all the effort. The great cloud of witnesses gives us great examples of how we are to run this race of faith, and by their example we can be supported knowing that others have done and felt just as we do. Our route is a well-worn path and we can follow their footsteps.
Thirdly, we have a promise for our endeavours. ‘We will not grow weary and lose heart.’ I don’t know about you but recently I’ve certainly had times when I’ve felt weary and that I’m losing heart. This pandemic and time of lockdown has been hard. Even for me an introvert who loves to stay in with a good book! But it has been stressful in many different ways, especially with not having an end date and knowing when we get back to ‘normal’ or at least being able to plan a few months ahead! Some are worried about their jobs, or their loved ones. Others of us have had to grieve the loss of a friend or a family member. Families have been squeezed in together for long days with no school and no opportunity to see friends. We’ve had to find new ways of working, or of doing things. Zoom meetings have been good to see faces, but it’s not been the same. This all takes its toll and we are tired.
But here we can know that once we determinedly decide to set our route towards Jesus and to faithfully walk, run, or plod that way, knowing we are cheered on my those who have done it before us, we can know that we will not grow weary or lose heart. In those moments we can be reminded of all that God has done through the many characters and stories in the Bible, and through our friends, our family, and our church community. Let’s take encouragement by rejoicing together in our success stories, and by cheering each other on in the times when we struggle to take one more step forward, then one more, and then another until we all cross that finish line with our arms raised feeling that ribbon break as we run through it.
