Several years ago, I decided that I was going to be a runner. We all know the type: that person who runs six miles a day, rain or shine, wearing color-coordinated outfits and impossibly cool running shoes. I wish I could say that since that fateful day when I began my “running journey” I have consistently practiced and improved. The truth is that I have stopped running more times than I can count!
The same is true of my running career as a Christian. The Bible refers often to the Christian life as a race, and I believe that most, if not all, Christians want to be runners. We want to live holy lives dedicated to the Lord, serve Him with fervency, bear spiritual fruit, have a close fellowship with Him, and at the end of our race, hear those longed-for words, …Well done, thou good and faithful servant:… However, so many Christians have a spiritual running career that looks much the same as my physical running career: a series of starts and stops. I have often wondered why Christians stop running. I believe the Bible gives some specific reasons why.
Christians stop running because they never really committed to run.
I Corinthians 9:25-26 reads, And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
I started running for the first time as a high school sophomore because my PE class required it. The teacher set the course, distance, and goal time. My classmates ran alongside me, cheering me onward. As soon as I graduated high school, I stuffed my running shoes into a corner of my closet. I had no interest in running any longer because I had never committed to be a runner; I was only doing what I was told to do.
Running in the Christian life is hard work. It takes dedication and commitment with a strong purpose. Many Christians, especially those who have grown up in Christian homes, run for the Lord when it is easy to do so or when their parents require them to do so. As soon as they become adults, they stop running because they never really committed to serving God in the first place.
Christians stop running because they never deal with their baggage.
Hebrews 12:1b says, …let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
A few years had passed before I dragged out my running shoes again, desperate to do something about the dreaded “freshman fifteen.” I set out on my run with high hopes, wearing my old PE clothes that no longer fit, thin socks, and my worn-out running shoes. I carried a large water bottle in one hand and my bulky cell phone in the other. A quarter of a mile later, I stopped running. I was so distracted by all of the things that were wrong that I could not focus on the running itself.
Many Christians start running with good intentions. Unfortunately, they are so weighed down with the sins and cares of this world that they can never fully concentrate on living a successful Christian life. Eventually, their baggage weighs them down, and they stop running.
Christians stop running because they become impatient.
Hebrews 12:1b says, …let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
When I began running again, this time with proper clothing and equipment, I was sure I would be successful! Within a week, I realized that running was still hard, and I was still slow. Because I was not immediately running a seven-minute mile while finding joy in the process, I stopped running.
Impatience can derail many Christian runners. They start full of fire and determination. They want to reach the world for Christ, build a successful Sunday school class, or cultivate a closer relationship with God. When they do not see immediate results, they get frustrated and stop running.
Christians stop running because they are running someone else’s race.
Hebrews 12:1b says, …let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, II Timothy 4:7 reads, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Another mistake I made when running was to try to keep up with my younger sister. She is naturally a much faster runner than I, so I naturally would always fall behind, get frustrated with myself, and quit. In contrast, once I became content with my own pace, I ran a 5k race in which I placed second in my age group. My older brother also placed second in his age group. My time was something near 27:00. His was under 21:00. We were both successful because we were both running our own race.
Christian runners must keep their eyes on their own race. We must remember that God has given each of us our own course, with its own blessings and trials, to run. Those who try to run another Christian’s race will eventually stop running.
Christians stop running because they look at the audience and other runners.
Galatians 5:7 says, Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
The audience
I have spent many a run worried about what everyone around me thought. “Is she really wearing a skirt to run?” “Why is she so slow?” “Does she realize her clothes don’t even match?” Those runs were, without fail, unsuccessful.
Christians who try to please others and fit in with the world will soon stop running. The time spent in trying to be accepted by the world would be better spent in trying to live a life accepted by God.
The other runners
My younger sister and I once ran laps around a building, each going the opposite way. I was so desperate to impress her that I would sprint every time I saw her round the corner. As soon as she was out of sight, though, I returned to my usual pace: a slow trot.
There are Christians who are running in their Christian lives just to impress other church members, their pastors, their Sunday school teachers, their youth workers, their parents, and their friends. If that is their purpose, they will eventually stop running.
Now that I have shared plenty of reasons why Christians stop running, let me tell how to keep running. Let us look again at Hebrews 12:1-2a, which says, Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;… Quite simply, the only way Christians can keep running for the Lord is to keep their focus where it should be: on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Isaiah 40:31 tells us, But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Perhaps you are reading this, and you are a spiritual runner. Keep running! Keep your eyes on the Lord and wait upon Him. Perhaps, though, you are reading this, and you can remember a time when your spiritual running pace was much faster than it is now. Maybe you have even stopped running completely. Pick yourself up, get your eyes in the right place, and start running again! I will see you out on the course!
by Abigail Medford
