How to Run Your Best Race

How to Run Your Best Race

“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

Thanksgiving will be here soon and our family will toe the line at the neighborhood Turkey Trot 5K. I love the race analogy in Hebrews 12. The author of Hebrews must have been a runner, because he nailed several key items for peak performance. Let’s train with him today.

Extras: Sweats prepare cold muscles to run, but you don’t want to wear them for the race. Like training wheels on a bike, they help at first, but to really go, you have to take them off. What has prepared you that needs to go now?

  • Perhaps you’re a devotional fan, but reading Scripture alone seems too intimidating. Choose a short book and dive in. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you. Don't clutch Jesus Calling at the expense of Colossians. Click To Tweet
  • How about personal worship? Great at church but have you ever tried it at home? Just you and God? Shed your self-consciousness.
  • And what about prayer? Are you an arrow pray-er, shooting prayers heavenward when needed? How about a prayer journal or an app like iPray? Like trading cotton socks for CoolMax, a larger investment gives greater returns.

Loose Ends: When I run, an untied shoestring claims my instant attention. Even double-tied, sometimes they come loose. Likewise, details of our character, left unchecked, can trip us. No one wants to face plant during a race because of an flapping shoestring. What area of your character needs some attention to detail? Worldliness? Flesh issues? Warfare? Identify the problem and eliminate any loose ends.

Run Your Course: Your race. My race. They share similarities, but we’ll run two different courses. Even my husband’s daily course differs from mine. He spends his day surrounded by people, engaged in conversation, and moving from one place to the next. I spend mine in solitude. Butt in chair. Me, the computer, and the dog. And it works—by God’s design. I have more time for intercession. He has the opportunity to speak into lives on a personal level. Two very different courses. Two very different levels of impact. One goal: to be like Jesus.

Aim for peak performance. Shed the warm-up gear. Tie up loose ends. Stick to your course.

Now, run.

Nail your spiritual workouts this week and change your corner of the gym.

Workout of the Week: How to Run Your Best Race

Memory Verse: “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

Meditation Passage: Hebrews 12

Just Do It: Shed, tie up, and stick to your course.

For those interested in preparing for your own Turkey Trot, check out the Couch to 5K program.

2 Comments

  1. Liz M on September 26, 2017 at 4:05 am

    Love this!!! I definitely need to shed some stuff and tie up some loose ends! Great perspective! Thank you:)

  2. Gayle Veitenheimer on September 26, 2017 at 3:42 pm

    Me too. It’s knowing what to shed and what to tie first that’s tough!

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