Running The Race

Author

Jacob Hayward
May 17, 2024

The Spark Newsletter

The Story

It usually only takes a few miles before I question why I do this to myself.

Ultra marathon running is something that I have grown to have a love/hate relationship with. I love pushing my body to the extremes. It never ceases to amaze me how much more the body can accomplish than the mind perceives as possible. It seems to me that my legs are capable of carrying me miles further than my brain believes. The hardest part is signing up for the race and putting myself out there to succeed or fail in front of family and strangers.

But there is a real risk of failure, something that I truly despise. I do not naturally like to put myself into situations in which the outcome is not a high likelihood of success. This fear of failure is precisely why I must participate in such races. If I choose not to risk failure in a race that pushes my limits but ultimately costs me the price of admission, how will I ever risk failure when the stakes are much higher?

In the Christian tradition, there is a belief that the life we are living is very much a race. Isaiah describes a people whom the Lord renews, and that by this strength, they are given the ability to run and not grow weary. I do not think Isaiah describes marathon running but rather a life marked with the ability to live well. Speaking to the church in Corinth, Paul compares our faith journey to athletics, saying that we ought to run out our faith as one seeking first place.

Living faithfully can be tricky. A way to consistently grow is to challenge yourself to do hard things. You have to put yourself into uncomfortable positions. That doesn't mean running an ultra marathon with me unless you want to! But maybe it is to walk a 5k. Or perhaps it is to begin eating whole foods. Maybe you fear starting up conversations, so you challenge yourself to start one when you go to the coffee shop. Perhaps you haven't shared your faith in a long time, so your challenge is to ask someone, "Do you know that Jesus loves you?"

There are many ways to succeed, but big success risks failure. Strain after the goal; chase Christ, my friends.

The Scripture

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

  • Paul is writing to a church in Corinth who would know well the seriousness of athletic training; they were host of the proud and prized Isthmian Games, very similar to the Olympic Games. 

  • The prize received by the winner at the Games was a wreath, which crumbles and disappears with time. But the prize the Christian achieves is tried with fire and will last an eternity. 

  • There is a single-mindedness here in Paul's description. He has given up his right to be free to serve Christ and the Corinthian people (9:1-2). Likewise, we, too, in service of God and others, ought to humble ourselves and pursue the highest aim, which is Christlikeness. 

The Spark

What better way to put this into practice than walking/running a race together??

Some of you immediately read that and said, "No way." But why not? It is a physical representation of a genuine spiritual reality. It is all of our desires to live well spiritually. An excellent way to practice this is through discipline in your physical life.

If you are in my neck of the woods (Urbana, Ohio), join a race with me.

If you cannot join me in this race, try to find one that fits your schedule and make plans with a friend to accomplish it. Or get out and walk with a friend in general. It builds community and physical health and strengthens your fortitude in straining towards Christ's goal.

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