A few years ago, a friend of mine wrote a devotion entitled “Continue,” referencing II Timothy 3:14, But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; Shortly after this, her life took some sharp turns that caused her to put her words into action once again; and that she did, even through the difficult times. That word “continue” has stuck with me ever since I first read her devotion. Eventually, I looked it up in dictionary and found four different definitions.
The first definition is “to maintain without interruption.” There is a type of running called “continuous” running. As the name implies, this is running without any breaks for walking or resting. It is constant forward movement. Sometimes in our Christian lives, we are moving forward constantly. We are making progress and accomplishing goals. This is a wonderful place to be!
The next definition is “to remain in existence.” There are times when a runner cannot run. Perhaps there is an injury or a health concern that puts us on the sidelines. We are still a runner, but for the moment, our progress is stalled. In life, circumstances can sometimes force us into survival mode. We are still continuing by just hanging on.
The third definition is “to remain in a place or condition.” There are cycles of progress and regression in running, as well as plateaus. Sometimes, we are not really seeing improvement, but we keep showing up to run the same route at the same pace because we know it is what we should do. We Christians must do the same. We can see the progress in the continuous running from the first definition, and that really encourages us; but when the going gets difficult or slow, we need to keep showing up. Remain in that place.
The last definition is “to resume an activity after interruption.” While running, sometimes I get shin splints. These cause terrible pain in my shins and occasionally cause me to stop my run completely to stretch in an attempt to relieve the pain. After a minute or so of stretching, I continue my run after this interruption. The interruption may have hurt, felt uncomfortable, or been inconvenient, but it has not ruined my run. The same is true in life. We can be interrupted by the loss of a loved one, maybe by a change in health, or by a disappointment. When an interruption comes along, hang on to the Lord’s hand, and run again as soon as you are able. Psalm 37:23-24 says, The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
So, run continuously if and when you can. Cheer from the sidelines if you need to take a minute to stretch. Keep showing up. Get back to running. Whatever you do, determine to continue.
by Amber Slimp
