“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 ...” Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

A few years ago, my friend and I formed what we called the Slow Girls Running Club: Where the Pace Doesn’t Matter.

We wanted an excuse to gather some girls together, and we wanted accountability to run just for the fun of being outside and moving our bodies.

The girls who showed up varied in all aspects of life, including running skill and speed. Many of them didn’t know each other, and some came alone. But they still showed up. And we ran together.

We started and ended at the same spot but all took slightly different routes, ran varying distances and went at different paces.

The goal was not to compete. It was just to run.

Which reminds me of today’s verse. Hebrews 12:1 says, “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.”

God has marked a spiritual race for us to run. In this race, we all may move at different paces, facing different hurdles along the way, but the finish line is the same: eternity with Jesus.

When we take our eyes off Jesus to focus on the runners around us, that’s when we can trip, get hurt or throw ourselves off course. Sometimes we trip and fall because we’re trying to run in someone else’s lane. Other times we get exhausted from trying to keep up with someone else’s pace.

The reality is we don’t have to compare our paces and races with everyone else’s — because the race of life is not a competition.

When we focus on what God has given us, we find a better way to live — a way to stop endlessly striving to catch up. Instead, we can run alongside one another, cheering for our fellow runners and telling each other to keep going when we get weary.

Maybe today you take a few moments to acknowledge to God where you are striving to catch up. Maybe you admit you are struggling with comparison. Maybe you confess a sin you are hiding.

Then watch as those weights that burden you start to fall off and you become better able to move toward all God has laid before you.

You are not behind. You don’t need to catch up or get ahead. You are here to run a race God has uniquely designed for you. Keep moving forward.

God, help me to run the race You’ve marked out for me. No more competing. No more getting winded from sprinting to catch up. Instead, help me run with freedom and focus, with my eyes on the prize: Jesus Himself, awaiting at the end of the unique race He has laid out for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

Hebrews 12:2, “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” (NIV).

What is the race you feel like God is calling you to run?

What is entangling you as you try to run? Is it a particular sin? Comparison? Grief? How can you surrender those things to God today?

We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.

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