“ Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14
The Christian life is often compared to running a race. Some have suggested that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. I sometimes wonder however, if it’s not more analogous to hurdles.
How many of us have attended a church service on Sunday and been deeply moved by the words of the speaker, or have publicly committed to an ideal or course of action by standing or raising a hand and being prayed over? Then on the Monday we seemingly forget our prayers and return to old habits and actions. This I would describe as falling at the first hurdle. I will be the first to admit guilty here and now.
We all long to change, to grow in Christ and become more like Him and less like our old selves. Yet the course of our life is not one long straight stretch. The hurdles lie between us and our end goal and we have to navigate them. Hurdles of trouble, disappointment, loss, temptation and sin lie in our path and like a professional athlete, it takes discipline and fortitude to navigate them.
This is both our challenge and our hope. I can guarantee that no gold medallist hurdler standing on a dais has not struck their foot on a hurdle and fallen. But they achieved their goal by picking themselves up, appraising what went wrong and persisting until they could smoothly sail over every hurdle and speed to the finish line.
How does this relate to the Christian life? We overcome the hurdles of this world not in our own capabilities but by trusting in Jesus- by prayer, knowing His word and allowing His Holy Spirit to be our strength and guide. Jesus said
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
He alone is the One who gives us the strength to continue through our lives. Be not overconfident- the saddest hurdler must be the one who is leading the race, only to fall at the last hurdle.
Persevere in prayer, Bible study, Christian fellowship and the outward working of faith in Christ, demonstrated by how you conduct yourself and what you do. Like the apostle Paul, may we be able to say:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7
