How to Run with Endurance the Race Set Before You

Early on, I learned to attach my worth to my performance. Receiving accolades and awards based on grades and extracurricular achievements, I ran hard from one accomplishment to the next. It wasn’t until motherhood that I realized I was drowning with little to show for my efforts. In addition, church planting and financial stress added to a deeper level of exhaustion.

It wasn’t that I was busy doing bad things, but over time, I grew weary of all the good things. I longed for the greater stamina required to run this race of faith well.

Without a doubt, life with Christ requires endurance. We accept the gift of faith, yet our sanctifying journey feels less like a gift in the moment. Hebrews 12 explains to us how believers are to keep going and not grow weary. So, if you’re feeling exhaustion set in, if sitting this season out on the sidelines sounds tempting, allow these words to replenish, strengthen, and encourage you for the good work ahead.

1. Identify the roots of unrest

Even in a season of joy, we may be tempted to source our happiness and contentment in things that fade, slowly weaning us off our dependence on the Lord for all things. Operating out of our flesh over walking with the Spirit is a sure way to tire early.

Or perhaps the things we most deeply delight in have gradually assumed a greater position in our lives than the Lord himself. Over time, weariness resides at the soul level and leads to greater unrest.

In Hebrews 12:1, the author begins by saying first and foremost to “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely”.

So, as we seek to continue this race of faith toward the finish line of heaven, take a moment to identify the roots of unrest in your life that leave you limping. What area of your life feels the most restless? Is there an unanswered prayer or unrepentant sin weighing heavily? Is the current pace of life a distraction from intentional time spent in prayer and reading God’s word?

Pray for God to help you unroot the patterns that leave you in a state of unrest and lay aside the stumbling blocks for the path ahead.

2. Establish rhythms of rest

The creation account in Genesis introduces us to the concept of rest in scripture. God worked for six days, formed the heavens and earth, established dry land and water, and then separated day from night. His creative handiwork miraculously breathed order into us as he formed us in his own image and abundantly provided for our every need.

Then God rested.

It’s tempting to place our own finite energy on God and relate to His need for rest, but the truth is God didn’t rest because he needed rest. He didn’t rest because He was burned out from overcommitting and a lack of margin in a hurried schedule.

No, God rested because rest invited delight. Through resting, God pleased in the work of His hands. So, too for us, rest is not simply a yearly family vacation, but a continuous, intentional time set aside to delight in the gifts God has given.

Nature. Family. Quiet. Stillness. Feasting. Reading. Connection. Adventure. There is no one right way to rest, but the need to rest remains. Work and rest are both designed, ordained, and modeled by God. Because it is good for us to rest, establishing healthy rhythms of rest is paramount for endurance.

In his book “Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”, John Mark Comer expands on incorporating Sabbath rhythms specifically into our weekly schedule and suggests it is not limited to a day of attending church. He proposes that these rhythms of rest provide space “to delight in the world, in our lives in it, and above all, in God himself.”

Resting does not always mean doing nothing. On the contrary, rest is found when we are stewarding our gifts, passions, time, and money in a way that causes our heart to grow in delight of our Creator.

What rhythms of rest help you intentionally create space to pause and delight more? As you accept the gift of rest, your intimacy with God will grow increasingly sweet and will strengthen you along the road of discipleship.

3. Hold fast to your enduring Savior

Lastly, we see in Hebrews 12:2 that the key to endurance is beholding our enduring Savior. “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Scripture testifies to the faithfulness of God. Despite idolatry, exile, and war, we see His Word prophesy to the steadfast love of God in all seasons. Your life and mine are also living testimonies of God’s faithfulness. It is because of His enduring love, grace, and mercy that we are strengthened for the steps ahead.

As we seek to run this race of faith in a decaying world and aging body, it is incredibly encouraging to note that our Savior also endures with us through pain and suffering alike. If we desire to endure the marathon of faith, may we rejoice even in suffering because, as Romans 5:3 explains, even “suffering produces endurance.”

Our enduring Savior is always present and promises to answer our cries for help with consistent compassion and constant care. How are you holding fast to your enduring Savior in this season?

Feeling weary is expected along the way, but may we join Saint Augustine in our declaration that, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

As you carefully consider the roots of unrest in this season and seek to establish healthy rhythms of rest, may you also remember that your truest rest is and will always be in God alone. Now, press on.