Monday, May 15, 2023

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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Hebrews 12:1-2

We can all experience the same situation from diverse vantage points and see different things along the journey. Although we get to do life together with others, we do not have the same lives. Each of us has a unique story: dissimilar socioeconomics, families, professions, and encounters. From our perspective, we get to look at the lives of others and make judgments on the quality of it. We make decisions about how “spiritual” we think someone else is based on their walk, their talk, and possibly their attitude toward God and others. Spending time assessing someone else’s life race is only a distraction. It is not what God intended for us.

The fact of the matter is that we must learn to run our own race—not our brother or sister’s race. Each of us is special with our own strengths and weaknesses. It is essential that we are aware of them both, so we know what to put on and what to take off. Most importantly, we must fix our eyes on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, and not get distracted with what someone else is doing.

PRAYER: Lord, as I run this race, teach me to be discerning about myself—my triggers for sin, my strengths, my failures. Let me run my race and keep my eyes on you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.