Running for Three
When I was boy of eight or nine years old I played in a local basketball league in my town of Madera, California. At that time in my life my biggest dream was to be John Paxson from the Chicago Bulls getting the ball dished off to him from Michael Jordan in the last few seconds of the NBA Finals to drain the championship winning three pointer.
I will never forget that in eager anticipation on certain nights before my game, I would imagine that there in the bleachers the next day would be three invisible spectators overjoyed to cheer me on. I would see the popcorn floating at chest level as it they watched over me. These three spectators were God Almighty, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and it was a reminder that the Lord is always with me.
Today when I arrived at the usual spot for morning prayer at 7:05am, there were three sofa chairs in the space beneath the stairs of the student dorms and dining hall, empty.
It reminded me of my thoughts as a kid. And it reminded of the scripture in the letter to the Hebrews Ch. 12:1-3
“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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him 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 sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
This words give strength eighteen years later as I’m currently training for a Half-Marathon that I will be running this March 28th. I’ve been learning what it means to run with perseverance as I never understood before.
My prayer is that as I run and train for this half-marathon I would learn the greater lesson of what it means to run the race of Faith marked out for us as a children of God. As we throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles so that we could live in the Joy set before us of Jesus Christ.
I will never forget that in eager anticipation on certain nights before my game, I would imagine that there in the bleachers the next day would be three invisible spectators overjoyed to cheer me on. I would see the popcorn floating at chest level as it they watched over me. These three spectators were God Almighty, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and it was a reminder that the Lord is always with me.
Today when I arrived at the usual spot for morning prayer at 7:05am, there were three sofa chairs in the space beneath the stairs of the student dorms and dining hall, empty.
It reminded me of my thoughts as a kid. And it reminded of the scripture in the letter to the Hebrews Ch. 12:1-3
“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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him 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 sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
This words give strength eighteen years later as I’m currently training for a Half-Marathon that I will be running this March 28th. I’ve been learning what it means to run with perseverance as I never understood before.
My prayer is that as I run and train for this half-marathon I would learn the greater lesson of what it means to run the race of Faith marked out for us as a children of God. As we throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles so that we could live in the Joy set before us of Jesus Christ.
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