How are you running your race?

For about 2 years I had been doing a little bit of running, I got myself a great little route that I’d run 3 or 4 times a week. Sometimes I’d run it like a race and try to beat my previous time. I’d run in the rain, on a windy day or in the blazing sun and if I started to struggle I’d set myself little goals challenging myself to run that bit further, to the end of the street, to the next set of traffic lights or round the next bend. It gave me a goal to aim for.

Then I bought a treadmill and I used that instead of going out for a run. It was great at first but then the novelty wore off. I was running the same distance as I was outside but challenging myself became harder because I had no goal to aim for. There was no end of the street, no set of traffic lights and no next bend to get myself round. All I had was the same view and one continual straight path ahead of me. I was running my own little race but going absolutely nowhere. Negative thoughts started to go through my mind, I had nothing to focus on and so the urge to quit became stronger. Physically I would hit a wall.

One day after getting off the treadmill I started to think how similar this is to our lives. How sometimes we are trying so hard but our eyes are not fixed on the goal. We start looking to the left and the right then we lose our focus and it seems like there’s nothing to aim for, our mood changes and it slows us down.

It says in the bible look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

Mark out a straight path for your feet, stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked, keep your feet from following evil

Are your eyes fixed straight ahead or are they looking to the left or the right and you’re getting sidetracked?

We are all running the race of life but its how we run it that matters. How are you challenging yourself in your race? Do you need to mark out a straight path and make yourself some new goals?

Maybe you feel like you have hit a wall? Sometimes we can all feel like that but that’s when you need to keep your focus, you need to keep your eyes fixed straight ahead. God is routing for you and He wants you to win your race!