I hated track in High School!
Now know this about me. I ran track all through High School, but I can honestly say I never really liked it. Why? Because it just flat out hurt too much! At the same time I was (and still am) inspired by great track athletes. I love watching the Olympics when we see displayed on the field those that push themselves to a whole new level. I love to watch the endurance races – but I just don’t think I would like to be the runner in that same race.
When I was about 16 one of my uncles who loved track and field gave me a book to read that I devoured about one of the greatest track athletes to ever live, Jim Ryun. From Wichita Kansas, Ryun was the first ever High School student to run the mile race is less than 4 minutes (today we would call it the 1500 meters race). It was an almost unheard-of feat for a kid at 17 years old to run that distance that fast. His time was 3 minutes 59 seconds flat. What they called a sub-4-minute mile. Ryun went on to many amazing track accomplishments and awards. He had several world records to his name before he ended his running career in 1972. He has since been named the greatest High School athlete of all time by ESPN, beating out for that title such other high school star athletes as Tiger Woods and LaBron James (not bad I’d say). Later in life he was a US Congressman from Kansas for a few years and was also awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is also a professing Christian.
When I read his book as a teen, I was so terribly inspired, but I had a problem that kept me from duplicating Jim Ryun… I still hated the pain that came with track! I don’t know how Jim Ryun did it and fought through the pain, but that pain just about did me in. I loved the watching part, but running part was just too much for me.
This Sunday the focus of teaching will be out of Hebrews 12:1-3
“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, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (NIV)
Our study series of “Knowing God” has led us to this place. Now that we can know God, we have a responsibility that should describe our lives with such words and phrases that could used to describe an athletic race…
- Perseverance
- Endurance
- Discipline
- Laying aside all kinds of entanglements that hold us back
- Don’t grow weary
- Don’t lose heart
- Keep our focus ahead
Not only do we see this athletic illustration in Hebrews, but we see it all over the Bible, both Old and New Testament. The illustration of track and field is one of the better illustrations of what it means to live the life of following this God we can Know by faith all while still present in this broken, complicated, and even painful world. It is so easy to just watch others from the sidelines. Yet we are all charged by God to get in the race that is marked out before us.
Before you come to service this coming Sunday April 23, read Hebrews 12 to prepare. I’m excited to see you this week. Let’s all get in the race!
