The Race

…let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Heb 12.1

What does a person do, who is going to run in a race?
First, the person decides upon the length and type of race: is it a sprint or a distance run? Is it on a track or across country? The runner chooses the event, and enters her name. And she finds out about the race location. And the runner doesn’t wait until race-day to prepare. Although it is possible to finish a sprint without practice, neither the sprinter nor the marathoner will perform at the best without training, sometimes for months or longer.

So the runner prepares by learning about the race itself, the race location with all the turns and hills, the other runners and their techniques and by conditioning the body through training and diet. On race day, the runner is prepared, physically and mentally.

Our daily walk is like a race. We need to train for it. But this race is not one we choose. It is set before us. And it doesn’t sound like a sprint, because we need patience to complete it. As we go through life, remember that we are runners in training. We gain in strength and endurance as we run each day. Some days are sunny, and the run is like a downhill course. Other days are cold and windy, but we still must run. This is a run that requires patience, so we have the example of others who have run before us. If they did it, so can we.