I was interviewing for a job once when the city editor said something about journalism that I found rather interesting. As I mulled over his words a few days later, I found that insight to be beneficial in just about all that we do – including the church.
He told me that he did not expect his reporters to give 100 percent or 110 percent all the time. He said that eventually leads to burnout. There is so much to do at a newspaper that it’s easy to begin in frenzy mode. To track down every lead, to write every angle, to uncover every nugget of information …it is just not possible to keep up that pace.
Instead, this editor told me he expects his reporters to give 90 percent effort ALL the time. He wanted his news staff to have something left on a continuous basis. The question my editor had for me in my days as a journalist was always, “What do you have for me today?” It didn’t matter that I had three stories on page one yesterday. There was always something more to do.
Life is truly a marathon. When I look back at my ordination class of about 11 persons – seven of them are no longer involved in full-time pastoral ministry. Life is a struggle. Being a follower of Jesus Christ does not immunize us from the challenges of life. We may want to think the Christian life is a cakewalk, but it is often far from it. Some people are frustrated because they think life ought to be easy. It is not easy. There are no shortcuts.
I am reminded of that great chapter known as the faith hall-of-fame. Hebrews 11 serve as witnesses so that we are never alone in this marathon race known as life. These are the heroes of faith:
By faith Able offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death. By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark.
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age – and Sarah herself was barren – was enabled to become a father. By faith, Moses’ parents hid him for three months. By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
The 11th chapter of Hebrews is full of examples of how people of the faith responded to the struggles and challenges of their day. I ask you, dear reader, to take a few moments and consider in your life those witnesses watching you this very day. Those people who have represented a belief in an eternity – an eternal presence with God through Christ Jesus.
Maybe it is your father or mother, or a brother, sister, aunt, uncle or other relative. Maybe it was a close friend in the past. Think back to the times when you were new to the faith. Who was there to inspire, comfort and lead you into a deeper spiritual commitment?
There are many witnesses in my life. A high school teacher who led the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes group; the director of the FCA camp where I worked; my pastor at Freedom Baptist Church; the three pastors I’ve know at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church; my wife. All of these people, and many more, stand on the sidelines cheering me on in my spiritual journey.
What we have got to remember is a marathon is a long struggle of endurance. It takes patience, persistence and stamina to finish. So often we go along for a time at full speed. We’re enjoying the fellowship, learning more about God’s word, seeking ways to serve God until we run into a brick wall. We find ourselves reaching a limit. We begin to slip. We find ourselves out of step in the spiritual journey. Troubles overwhelm us.
We must remember to pace ourselves at all times. What matter the most is not so much the speed but the direction we are taking. In Hebrews 12, we are told to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Allow me to list some of those weights that hold us back in the marathon race of life:
Tomorrow – a weight no Christian needs to carry. And yet, we spend so much time anticipating what might be. Jesus said, “Be not anxious for tomorrow.”
The unforgiven wrong – no matter what side you are on – is a weight no Christian needs to carry. Forgive it, or ask for forgiveness. A grudge is a dead weight.
Suspicion – no, everyone is not talking about you. They are too busy talking about themselves.
Temper – so many of us have a terrible temper. Our kids know it, our spouses know it, and certainly God knows it. The problem with a temper is it leaves a trail of terror in those we love the most.
Make your own list of weights that you need to throw off in order to run the race of life. Let them go. “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.” (Hebrews 12:2)
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