Running the Race

I watched Chariots of Fire tonight as I “ran” on my elliptical machine (I highly recommend this combination, by the way).  I was eager for the running.  I had forgotten how deeply stirring was the faith of Eric Liddell.  Here are the words he shared in a speech after a race in his beloved Scotland…

You came to see a race today…see someone win.  It happened to be me.  But I want you to do more than just watch a race.  I want you to take part in it.  I want to compare faith to running in a race.  It’s hard.  It requires concentration of will, energy of soul.  You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape – especially if you’ve got a bet on it.  🙂  But how long does that last?  You go home.  Maybe your dinner’s burned.  Maybe…maybe you haven’t got a job.  So who am I to say, Believe – Have faith, in the face of life’s realities?  I would like to give you something more permanent.  But I can only point the way.  I have no formula for winning the race.  Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way.  And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end?  From within.  Jesus said, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.  If with all your heart, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me.”  If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then THAT is how you run a straight race.

Well said, Brother.  Well said.  More original posts coming soon, but this speech really caught me tonight, so I wanted to share it with you.  I guess it caught me when he said running the race of faith/life is hard.  Yes, it is.  Overcoming the desires of my flesh to take the easier, softer way of sinful self-indulgence is just plain old tough for me.  Maybe it is for you, too.  I want so much to surrender my will so fully to God each day that He totally has His Way with my life.  I truly believe this is the absolute best possible way for me to live, every single day.

At least, my spirit of faith believes this.  My flesh tells me otherwise, goaded on by the venomous lies of the Serpent.  And I stumble in the race.  Or fall behind.  Or take too many water breaks.  Or just want to give it up.  But my spirit within me won’t give up, fueled by the sweet Voice of Truth, The Holy Spirit of God.  God’s Word invites me to run in such a way as to win the prize.  And the prize is SO worth the struggle!  And the sweetest part is, Jesus has already secured it for me.  He paid for it, and has already reserved my place in the winners’ circle.  I just have to keep running the race until I get there to join Him along with the great company of saints who have run before me, are running with me, and will run the race behind me.  So, I’m going to keep on running the race.

There’s room for another in the winners’ circle.  Care to join me?