The Race

The Race

Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Hebrews 12:1

My friend challenged our grandma-filled Sunday school class to enter a race that would raise funds to help feed the homeless. After checking to make certain we would be allowed to walk the one-mile segment instead of run it, we accepted her challenge.

Since all good athletes spend time training before an event, we came up with a plan. My friend lives a half mile from McDonald’s. Meeting at her house and then walking to the restaurant and back would be the perfect workout for us. On two occasions we walked, treated ourselves to senior coffees, and visited. It took two hours—one and a half to visit and savor our coffee, and thirty minutes to walk.

Race day arrived, and six of us loaded into our vehicles and headed to the event. Arriving forty-five minutes early, we stood in line to register as our teeth chattered from the cold. We had not counted on how harsh the morning wind would be. As soon as we had our T-shirts and our big blue numbers, we raced back to our cars to warm up. We eagerly layered on our new shirts for added warmth and helped one another pin our numbers on our backs. We really looked official!

Then, as we sat inside our cars and watched other people fight the cold, we began to dread leaving our warm spots. Fortunately, our “training” kicked in. Hot coffee was what we craved, so we ditched the race and headed to McDonald’s. Unfortunately, as we sat inside the restaurant, still wearing our T-shirts and numbers and enjoying our coffee and fellowship, people looked at us and smiled—and one person even congratulated us on running the race. Uh-oh!

—Pam Whitley

O Lord, may I never just look as if I’m in the race—the race you have set before me. Instead, let me be running with all my heart. And may I never allow myself to be detoured by the difficulties of life. Amen.