The Coastal Delaware Running Festival hosts a race each spring. The route is a unique course in which participants run to a turn-around point, and then return on that same path. Therefore, at various spots along the race, you pass fellow runners.
My daughter and I loved this! Because each athlete wears a bib with their name and race number pinned to the front of their shirt, as we passed oncoming racers, we cheered for them by name. Many of them turned and looked at us with smiling yet puzzled faces, perhaps wondering, “Do I know them?” It was awesome to see their faces brighten and their paces quicken as the sound of their name was shouted.
So many aspects of the day remind me of the race we run as Christ followers—the endurance needed, the importance of fellow runners, the highs and lows of the course, the mile markers, the internal and external battles of the race, the thrill of the finish. It’s no wonder the image of a race is used so often in the Scriptures!
But what struck me most is the inspiration and drive to finish that infuses you when someone cheers for you. At several places along the route, non-runners set up chairs and sit by the road waiting for competitors to pass. They shout, “You can do it! Keep going! You're almost there! You’re killing it!”
It’s amazing the spark these cheers ignite! Inspired by strangers’ cries, runners are determined to finish the race.
Now imagine this. There is One in Heaven who knows your name. He plots your exact course, and He is your biggest fan. At every point along the race, He is there cheering your name. When you feel like you can't possibly go on, He reminds you that He is right there with you, and He will never leave your side. When the finish line feels too far away, He points you toward the prize and continues to cheer you on. When the aches and pains of the run make you want to quit, He gives supernatural strength. When you fall, He is there to pick you up, bind your wounds and carry you. He knows every ache of your past, every emotion of your present journey, and He has secured your future.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
He is for you. He is more committed to you finishing the race than you are! He is cheering your name. He is running alongside you. One day, He will see to it that you complete your race. And on that day, He will be there at the finish line, a smile on His face, waiting to greet you and thrilled at last that you are home. So, keep running, Sister. Do not lose heart. You will finish the race – He has guaranteed it. AND, you have the best One cheering you on!
PRAYER
Father, some days the race feels long and hard. The finish line seems too far away. I don’t know if I can make it. May the reality of what I cannot see – You are right here with me and cheering me on – sustain and strengthen me today. Thank You for being for me!
Adapted from Judie Puckett, Grace Enjoyed: Delighting in Our God in the Ordinary Moments of Life (Storied Publishing, 2023).