Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. HEBREWS 12:1-2 

When I was in junior high school, I ran cross country. The other runners and I would train so that we could run for miles on end and still finish well. High school runners, who were older and more experienced than us, ran with us to help teach us. No matter the weather, we’d have meets with other schools. Even on the days it was snowing, raining, or extremely hot, we had to keep running, not only for ourselves but for our school. When we saw the finish line, we had to keep pushing forward, maybe even faster, to pass runners from other schools and help our team gain points. 

In our faith walk, we must have endurance too. We train, going through trials, valleys, and storms, and with each trial, we learn to rely on God more. We run with others—finding community, going to church, sharing our faith, and praying—which helps grow our relationships with God. We have lots of races throughout life, and we have to keep going, relying on our faith to get us through all kinds of obstacles—through the storms, rain, sunshine. We have to put forth our best effort even when we feel like falling or quitting. 

Others who are more experienced can run with us to help us build our faith. Finding a faith-filled friend to counsel us may be just what we need to give us encouragement and support. 

When we focus on the finish line—being with Jesus forever in paradise—and keep our eyes on Him through it all, we can push through adversity and know God’s plans for us are best. Then, as we become stronger in our faith, we can run with others, helping them build their endurance too. 

GO FOR IT! 

Are you in it for the long haul? Having endurance can be hard, but as we run this race of life, we need more than just training and support. We have to rely on God and keep our focus on Jesus through it all.  

This is an excerpt from Go For It: Boldly Live the Life God Created For You by Melissa Horvath – a new devotional journal now available for pre-order on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.