Running to win

By Charles Christian

Running has been popular for centuries. What started as a method to simply get from place to place faster has become the subject of athletic competition in virtually every country in the world.

Millions of people are focused on the Summer Olympics in Paris, where runners compete for medals.

It seems that some people are, to paraphrase Bruce Springsteen’s song, “born to run.” This means they seem to be able to run fast, run far or both. Others run at their own pace, trying to get as much benefit from it as possible. Still others don’t like running at all. As one comedian famously said, “If you see me running past you, call the police; I’m being chased!”

The Bible speaks of running in a more metaphorical or symbolic way. The Book of Hebrews in the New Testament urges people of faith to “ … run with endurance the race that is set before us” while “fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-2). The Apostle Paul writes that we are people of faith and are called to “run to win” (I Corinthians 9:24).

These and similar passages are not about lacing up the sneakers and going out for a jog (though there is certainly nothing wrong with that). These reminders are about consistency. They are about staying firm and growing — making progress — in our faith. We do that in a few ways.

First, we learn to be consistent in trusting God. When we let this trust fade, we get “out of shape,” spiritually speaking.

Second, we focus on the key elements of faith without getting distracted by lesser things. For Christians, the ways of Jesus are to be our focus and goal (see Hebrews 12:1-2 again). These include love, compassion and truthfulness. Other aspects of our lives are important, of course, but keeping our focus on the main things can keep us on track in other areas of living.

Finally, we are to model consistency. “Running to win” in the way Paul describes is not about competing with others. Instead, as any good runner will tell us, it’s about finding ways to grow and to become better each day, one day at a time. This involves humility and effort as we grow through the pain and become stronger in our faith and our devotion to God and others.

So applaud the runners who demonstrate their talents and who win medals. While doing this, also remember that even we non-runners are to “run the race” of life with compassion, humility and consistency. By doing so, we can all win.