Article June 2, 2014 ISSUE

The race set before us

Cynthia Clague

Do you sometimes awake thinking about your day with less than enthusiasm, or even with dread? Perhaps a demanding boss or a judgmental relative haunts your prospects, or anxiety about deadlines and too much to do lurks in the shadows. You may be facing persistent unemployment and mounting bills, or a troubling disease confronts you. But right where that view looms ahead, God is already there to help you.

If you have ever run in or been a spectator at a long-distance race, you will have seen the crowd lining the course. They are cheering for the runners, giving support—nourishment, refreshment, and encouragement. If we widen our focus to include our spiritual sense, we can envision such spectators cheering us on in life’s long race. But, rather than people, it’s Soul—a helpful synonym for God—that constantly encourages us, points out the way, and brings out the best in us, enabling us to do whatever is required of us.

The writer of the book of Hebrews in the Bible, appears to have focused on similar ideas: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (12:1, 2).