I know you will find this hard to believe, but I have never run a physical race before. First, there is the whole asthma thing in which walking fast can make me lose my breath and gasp for air even as I reach for my inhaler. Second, I will be totally honest. Even if I could run, I probably wouldn’t because I hate to sweat. If I feel perspiration creeping down my neck or across my forehead, I head to the bathroom to take a shower or at least wash off. I know…strange, right?

But there is a race that I am running, every day. Some days, I think I am making progress and other days, I feel as though I am just standing still, running in place. But, I am still running, still listening to that still small voice that tells me I’m going to make it, to just keep going.

God has a race marked out for us to run and we all need to run it whether we are athletically inclined or not. The stakes are high and the prize is eternal. So how do we get ready for this race?

I have four grandchildren who run cross country. They have informed me repeatedly that you have to run every day to be ready for the race. Sometimes their run is with others at practice and sometimes they are running solo just to keep in shape. Sometimes, we run our race alone and other times, we are with other believers. But we never stop running.

So, for my race, my everyday run consists of spending time with the Lord daily, first thing every morning. I may not feel like it, but my feelings don’t count because God is waiting for me, so off I go to read His word, pray, meditate and spend time with Him. I call that preparing for my race. The race is starting the minute I get up from my chair and start my day.

The phone rings with someone needing something. Do I blow them off, tell them I’m busy (which may actually be true) or do I offer to help however I can? Remembering that this is part of my race, I choose wisely and offer to help. I have to run errands and my husband is still sleeping. Since he and I go on errands together, do I wake him up or let him sleep, knowing he stayed up late watching sports? The little voice inside me that is impatient tells me to wake him up, but I walk away quietly and wake for him to awaken naturally, refreshed by getting enough sleep. Still running that race! I make lunch and spill the soup on the floor as I try to balance it with my walker. I could spew a string of words that are not for polite society. But, instead, I get paper towels and silently clean up my mess. You know what is happening here? Life! Life is what is happening. And as someone once said, life is not what happens to us, it is how we respond to it.

That is our daily race, which some call the “daily grind.” Day after day, things happen and we react or respond, hopefully with God in mind and the Holy Spirit ruling our response, but honestly, that doesn’t always happen and we have to confess, repent, and keep going. Regardless of the events in our lives, we keep running the race. Our eyes have to stay focused on Jesus, not on the events that are happening to us or around us. The world is filled with distractions to try to get us to quit the race and join in their revelry, the sin that has already entangled them and they want us to join them in it. But, we don’t quit! Why not? Because our eyes are on Jesus and He did not give up on us. He didn’t quit but rather went to the cross, suffered and died. That was His race and He ran all the way to being seated next to the Father.

Was Jesus tempted and opposed? Constantly! The Pharisees and other religious leaders were always watching Him, waiting for Him to break their numerous laws and standards. Jesus indeed broke many of their laws and established new ones. He healed on the Sabbath and was condemned for it. He spoke words of truth from His Father and was ridiculed for it. He spoke out for the underdogs, the sinners who were around Him and following Him everywhere. He touched them and allowed them to touch Him. He was running His race and knew what the end would look like for Him, yet still He ran, faithfully and daily. Can we do any less?

Others are watching us, too, hoping that we will “grow weary and lose heart.” They want us to turn away from God so that they can say to themselves and others, “See, I told you this salvation thing isn’t real.” So, we have to keep running, not just for us, but for all who need to see the race and know that our faith is real, our God is real and there is a real heaven (or hell) waiting for everyone.

Thus, I am running my race and I know that you are, too. Your race probably doesn’t look like mine, but it’s the same race, just a different track. Some run through woods with lots of obstacles. Some run uphill a lot and feel as though their body cannot take any more. Others are running in a flat valley with a cool breeze and thanking God for the respite from the hard places that they have just left behind. Just keep running. The end of the race is coming, although we don’t know how or when. We know what is waiting for us at the end, so we just keep running, cheered on by a heavenly host that wants us to finish and finish well.