Perseverance. When I think of this word it makes me think of steadfastness in difficult times. That’s simply what this word means, to do something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. We live in a culture where giving up is a trend. Think about it. We give up on marriages, we give up on jobs, we give up on friends, we give up on sticking to our morals because they are easier broken than kept. We live in a society where giving up has become easier than fighting, and it’s sadly becoming the norm. This does not reflect on the character of the God that created this universe, it defines the exact opposite…
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Jesus, who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. —Hebrews 12:1-3
Jesus didn’t give up, and God certainly did not give up. So, why are we? The time that we are alive (right now at this very moment) is the time that we are running our race. The baton has been passed onto this generation and it’s our turn on the track. As a runner (which I am not), there are certain things you must be prepared for prior to your race. You must eat a nutritious diet, you need to be properly hydrated, you have to wear the right attire, and you must train and train well.
We are a part of a team, and it’s a rather large one that is depending on us to run our course and do it with perseverance. As stated in Hebrews, we have an army of fans, a cloud of witnesses, that are watching and cheering us on. We build strength, endurance, and steadfastness through intentional discipline in our work outs. Could you run a marathon without training for it? No, you absolutely could not. Muscles are built through pressure and resistance, building up strength isn’t a task that is easily done, but it can be done by consistency in training. Do your muscles grow when you don’t add on more weight? No, you have to add the pounds to create a stronger body, you can’t reach a climax and stay there if you want to gain. So, what makes us think we can run this race without the proper training?
Our training is vital to the race we are running, it requires diligence, discipline, mental and heart fixation on the ultimate goal: Christ Jesus. If you’re walking your race, build some stamina and put a little pep in your step. It doesn’t have a be a full-on sprint, start with a little jog and build from there. There is a sense of urgency, we aren’t to take this lightly. Build up your faith and your love relationship with the Lord. Start nourishing your spirit through reading and delighting in scripture as well as prayer. This is how you prepare for the race that is set before us – take that baton and get going, there’s a race to run!
