Do You Run Like You're Being Chased?

Imagine, if you will, two scenarios. In the first, a stereotypical murder-and-mayhem victim is fleeing down a dark alley. She may be blond, brunette, or red-haired but she is definitely wearing a short, tight skirt and high heels, and she glances over her shoulder as she bounces from one soot and dirt-covered side of the alley to the other, like a pinball trying desperately not to fall down the shoot. She is running with all her might, but we all know how this will end.

In the next scenario, an athlete is at the block, waiting for the starter’s gun. She has prepared for this day, long hours of practice and hard work, and she is preparing even now, tuning out the sound of the crowd as she steadies her breathing and focuses on what is about to happen. The gun goes off, and off she goes, running full-tilt down the track, opponents on either side. It doesn’t matter to her how well they are running; it only matters that she is running in rhythm, every footfall steady, every breath and heartbeat in sync.

Both of these women are running with everything they’ve got. But one is running away, motivated by fear. The other is running toward a goal she has worked toward for a long time, motivated by the prize.

Hebrews 12:1-3: “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

If we are believers, we are not the soon-to-be-dead runner in a thriller movie. The Devil may still pursue us, but we have been saved though faith in Jesus Christ; we are secure in Him, and so we need not be motivated by fear anymore. And the perfect love of God our Father casts out fear: fear of retribution, abandonment, and isolation.

And yet we must run. The author of Hebrews tells us we are in a race, and the Apostle Paul told us the same thing in his letters. The runner on the track isn’t afraid, either, because she has prepared for this. She has worked for it. She is ready.

Perhaps if we run this Christian race with fear in our hearts it is because we are not daily preparing for it. We are not working our spiritual muscles through prayer. We are not improving our cardio-vascular health through Bible reading and rest.

But if we are ready, then we can run with strength, determination, and confidence. The race isn’t about me versus everyone else. It’s just me. How well am I doing? And it’s not a sprint; it’s a cross-country marathon. It will continue for the rest of my earthly life, and when I get to the end of my life, I will see God face to face and He will grant me a prize.

That is my motivation. To receive the crown of glory. To hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”