Running with Perseverance
The fall is always a busy time, and often in the best of ways. The weather is getting nicer, I want to be outside more and spend time with people. I love all of the things we have on the church calendar and the joy of serving and learning and growing.
As we move into October, the busyness of fall continues to catch up. In my season of life, that looks like lots of school activities and homework for the kids, sports schedules, practices, friends that want to play, birthday parties, church events, Surge, Edge, Wyldlife, family dinners, family trips, and the list goes on.
Drawing to the close of our year in the Book of Acts, we are looking at the endurance of the church. How does God continue his work for generations through his broken and flawed creation who are offered new life and new hope through Christ? What does that mean for us as a church? What does that mean for me as a father, a son, a husband?
I think there is something in the word “endurance” that we need to pay particular attention to. Our life, our walk with the Lord, and our calling as the Church are marathons, not sprints. It’s an enduring faith and one that plays out over time and season and setback and celebration. This passage from Hebrews comes to mind when I think about this season, but also this time of year and my reflection on Acts and our church.
“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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
— Hebrews 12:1-3
The writer of Hebrews (historically attributed to Paul, the main figure in Acts and the spreader of the early church, or more recently believed to be someone who met the Lord within a couple of generations of Paul’s ministry and teaching) chooses some very particular words to encourage the church. Perseverance. Enduring. Not growing weary and losing heart.
God knows us. He knows you. Every bit of you. Our poor memory of his goodness, our desire to do things on our own. He made us and knows it all. Over and over again, he reminds us that we need him. It’s the only thing that will make life work. Once we have him, we continue to need him. Over and over to make life work. It’s a really beautiful thing. We can’t do this on our own nor are we meant to.
So how do we persevere? How do we endure? How do we run the race marked out for us and not grow weary and lose heart? I’m not a runner, so don’t ask me about that. Please email all running questions to my friends Garry or John. But I do know a bit about continuing the race with the Lord.
Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. We have to keep our eyes on the end and the goal. That goal is a forever with Jesus, who loves us to death and back. That love shapes our today and tomorrow and never lets us down. How do we do that? Read the Gospels, the accounts of Jesus’ time on earth. I recommend the Book of John—whenever I need to fall back in love and keep my eyes on Jesus, I go back to John. It’s an intimate look at Jesus and never fails to draw me close.
Run the race. Keep going. God is calling you to something and someone. You have good work to produce at your job, in your school, at your home—wherever God has you. You have people God has called you to. You, like Paul, have been called to no ordinary mission and there are people that are in your life who need to know God loves them in word and in deed. Love them. Start with loving God but don’t stop there. Love those around you.
But pace yourself! This is a busy season. The work is never-ending. Your job, your family, your friends, your church. Everyone needs you. But they all need you alive and thriving. I think one of the lessons so many of us learned in the midst of COVID-19 and quarantine was to assess the pace of our lives. In this season, it’s so easy to just go back to our old habits and routines. We need to remember to rest and restore. Weekly worship is more than just a checkbox; it’s a joining together of God’s people and restores and renews our souls to move through the week ahead. God calls us to Sabbath and rest. The writer of Hebrews, especially if it was Paul, most likely still observed a restful day each week to remember God’s goodness and provision. Create the space for nourishment! Rest, play, get outside, enjoy all that God has given you.
We have important, life-altering, eternity-shaping work to do. It’s so important! It is a marathon and not a sprint, and we need to continue to run and finish the race set out before us. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Pace yourself and rest in him along the way so that you can finish the race and not grow weary and lose heart. Run the unique race God has exactly for you.
O.J. Aldrich is the Lake Mary Pastor at Summit Church. He has an awesome wife, three amazing kids, and can typically be found with them at Fun Spot or shooting baskets in their driveway.