If you are new to this Christian journey, then I want to welcome you with open arms, even a big fist bump, to congratulate you on joining the race to glory.
If you are somewhat in the middle, maybe 2-5 years in, then my heart goes out to you with an exceeding big hug and some words of wisdom: don’t faint.
If you are closer to decades, with the title "season saint" under your belt, I would like to extend encouragement: keep running.
The beautiful part of following Jesus is that He meets us exactly where we are, no matter how long or how far we have been running in the race. He is always near us, leading, guiding, shepherding us as a good friend would. But the truth is, the race becomes heavy, bills are piling, the world feels on fire, and your heart and mind are still running faster than your actual physical body. Lord knows if we only had those sandals Jesus wore when John the Baptist said he was unworthy to untie, would the race feel any different. Haha. I love that Jesus was like us, running His own human race, filled with emotions, encountering temptations, living as a real person. Jesus was just like us, yet, looking to the Father for help and strength.
To all of us who are journeying on this race to one day meet our Savior and Lord, I would commission you to breathe, take a break, read your Bible with intention, and cast your burdens on Jesus, for God is the One who has run before us with wisdom and love to help us through it all. And as Paul writes, He will crown us in the end.
Prayer:
So today I pray for you, specifically, that the Holy Spirit would uphold His hand over your life. I pray for strength to run, I pray for joy to stand firm, and peace to satisfy you in all things. May the hope that is set before us be all that our eyes cannot see, but through faith, believing that we shall overcome not by our own strength but by the blood of the Lamb. In Jesus' name, Amen.
