It was my Junior year in high school. The weather had warmed nicely and the Track and Field conference relays were taking place. Every race except one was finished. We were down to the final event of the night: the 4x400 meter relay. This was an event for four teammates to run in succession—each one running 400 meters. I was responsible for the first leg of the 4x400 relay. That meant I would run one time around the track as fast as I could possibly go and make a clean handoff to the next runner.
The runners lined up and the gun went off. I bolted from the starting line along with seven other runners. With lungs heaving, we rounded the first turn and left almost 100 meters behind us. Every runner was hustling down the track as fast as their legs would carry them. The pace was good; I wasn’t first, but I wasn’t last. As I rounded the final turn and headed down the stretch to the handoff, there was pleasure in seeing that this would be a solid race. I was now within 10 meters of handing off the baton to the next runner, and somehow I stumbled and fell, losing the baton and disqualifying our team from the race.
I had never felt such a weight of disappointment. Not only had I ruined our possibility of placing well, but now we wouldn’t even be able to finish the race at all. 95% of my run was flawless. My last 10 meters was a sham. I hate to even relive this event, but I must for one specific reason. God calls us to pass on the faith to the next generation, to the next person, to one person or 10 people. I don’t want to make the mistake of botching up the handoff and disqualifying those who follow after me. So I use this example to propel my thinking forward to an even greater race: the race of faith to which we are called.
Our high school track team gathered up all their equipment and headed to the bus. Several faces tried to be compassionate as I located my seat. But deep in my own mind I sensed what they were thinking. “You dropped the baton. You messed up! You blew the opportunity we had to finish well.” No one ever said it, but I felt it.
What about the spiritual race we are running and the next generation that will follow us? Do you feel the pressure? Do you sense that others are staring at you with longing eyes or disappointment on their faces? Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us that others are watching: “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.”
Whether this is a factual group of spectators or not, commentators vary on the matter. The point is more about the role of faith in the life of each competitor. By faith we are to fix our eyes on Jesus. By faith we are to run with strong intentions in order to pass on the faith to the next generation.
This is the command Jesus gives in Matthew 28 when he says, “Go and make disciples.” Pass on the baton to the next generation. You are part of the relay of faith. But the pressure is different. The pressure is actually on Jesus. Did you notice that he is called the pioneer and perfecter of our faith? Why is that? Because it would be easy for us to drop the baton and mess up the hand off.
Jesus encourages us to run, and run by throwing off anything that tangles us up and hinders our performance. He calls us to throw off sin. Sin slows us down in the race. Sin makes us ineffective runners. Sin is the mainstay that gives us fatigue as we are running. Sin is the white lie or the error in judgment that shaves degrees off our friendships. Sin waylays good intentions and would cause us to wreck the whole race if it weren’t for the fact that Jesus already perfected the race for us.
Each participant listed in Hebrews 11 finished their race because Jesus pioneered their race of faith and he put the finishing touches on it also. The same now applies to us. We will pass on the faith to the next generation because Jesus starts the faith process in us, and he will make sure that every step that must be taken is run. It’s an interesting combination of his stealth and fortitude accomplished in our running.
He calls us to run, but the running is accomplished well by fixing our sights on him and realizing that he is perfecting each one of our steps. Now that’s a team event! So how well will we pass the faith on to the next generation? The focus of that question must shift slightly. How well will Jesus assist us in running this race of faith? Answer: with perfection.
May you be blessed as you turn your gaze toward the one who has begun your faith and is currently making your faith complete. Fix your eyes on Jesus.
The runners lined up and the gun went off. I bolted from the starting line along with seven other runners. With lungs heaving, we rounded the first turn and left almost 100 meters behind us. Every runner was hustling down the track as fast as their legs would carry them. The pace was good; I wasn’t first, but I wasn’t last. As I rounded the final turn and headed down the stretch to the handoff, there was pleasure in seeing that this would be a solid race. I was now within 10 meters of handing off the baton to the next runner, and somehow I stumbled and fell, losing the baton and disqualifying our team from the race.
I had never felt such a weight of disappointment. Not only had I ruined our possibility of placing well, but now we wouldn’t even be able to finish the race at all. 95% of my run was flawless. My last 10 meters was a sham. I hate to even relive this event, but I must for one specific reason. God calls us to pass on the faith to the next generation, to the next person, to one person or 10 people. I don’t want to make the mistake of botching up the handoff and disqualifying those who follow after me. So I use this example to propel my thinking forward to an even greater race: the race of faith to which we are called.
Our high school track team gathered up all their equipment and headed to the bus. Several faces tried to be compassionate as I located my seat. But deep in my own mind I sensed what they were thinking. “You dropped the baton. You messed up! You blew the opportunity we had to finish well.” No one ever said it, but I felt it.
What about the spiritual race we are running and the next generation that will follow us? Do you feel the pressure? Do you sense that others are staring at you with longing eyes or disappointment on their faces? Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us that others are watching: “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.”
Whether this is a factual group of spectators or not, commentators vary on the matter. The point is more about the role of faith in the life of each competitor. By faith we are to fix our eyes on Jesus. By faith we are to run with strong intentions in order to pass on the faith to the next generation.
This is the command Jesus gives in Matthew 28 when he says, “Go and make disciples.” Pass on the baton to the next generation. You are part of the relay of faith. But the pressure is different. The pressure is actually on Jesus. Did you notice that he is called the pioneer and perfecter of our faith? Why is that? Because it would be easy for us to drop the baton and mess up the hand off.
Jesus encourages us to run, and run by throwing off anything that tangles us up and hinders our performance. He calls us to throw off sin. Sin slows us down in the race. Sin makes us ineffective runners. Sin is the mainstay that gives us fatigue as we are running. Sin is the white lie or the error in judgment that shaves degrees off our friendships. Sin waylays good intentions and would cause us to wreck the whole race if it weren’t for the fact that Jesus already perfected the race for us.
Each participant listed in Hebrews 11 finished their race because Jesus pioneered their race of faith and he put the finishing touches on it also. The same now applies to us. We will pass on the faith to the next generation because Jesus starts the faith process in us, and he will make sure that every step that must be taken is run. It’s an interesting combination of his stealth and fortitude accomplished in our running.
He calls us to run, but the running is accomplished well by fixing our sights on him and realizing that he is perfecting each one of our steps. Now that’s a team event! So how well will we pass the faith on to the next generation? The focus of that question must shift slightly. How well will Jesus assist us in running this race of faith? Answer: with perfection.
May you be blessed as you turn your gaze toward the one who has begun your faith and is currently making your faith complete. Fix your eyes on Jesus.
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