In my last post I shared three keys to avoiding comparison when running your own race. Today, I want to help you run your race well. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. If you get too caught up in the outcome, you can miss the blessings hidden throughout the journey.
As sometimes happens in races, people often come out of the gates with a burst of energy, but without discipline, may not have the endurance to finish the race. If you are not careful, you may fizzle out or get distracted and never finish your own race. I want to help you avoid these common pitfalls by sharing a few of the lessons I have learned over the past decade in my own personal journey.
Three Keys to Running Your Race with Endurance:
1. Do Everything in Excellence
Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom. -Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NLT)
Whether you are scrubbing toilets, taking care of your children, or pastoring a church, do it to the best of your ability! Give yourself fully to whatever you are doing! No task is insignificant as each is essential to thrive at home, work, and in the community. Be intentional and invest your time and energy wholeheartedly to the tasks God has called you to in every season.
Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others. – Colossians 3:23 TPT
2. Partner with the Holy Spirit
I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time. –Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NLT)
A few reminders when it comes to partnering with the Holy Spirit:
- When you partner with the Holy Spirit, God will connect you with the right people, the right place, and the right plan. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
- It’s natural to feel unqualified to do what God is calling you to do. Don’t let that discourage you, but instead, inspire and empower you! The Bible is full inspirational testimonies of unqualified people doing amazing things! If you are feeling discouraged today, I encourage you to read some of their stories: David, Joseph, Esther, Moses…just to name a few.
- God does not call the equipped, He equips the called (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)
In 2014, God called my husband and I to launch out on our own and plant our first church. If you knew us well, you would agree we were the least likely people to be chosen for such a task. We had no idea where to even begin, and we didn’t know anyone who had done what God was calling us to do! All we knew was we were called to plant a church in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
I remember, especially early on, people had a million questions about our plans for planting the church. If I had a penny for every time I told someone “I don’t know,” I would be independently wealthy by now! God did not give us the entire blueprint as we launched out (honestly, if He had told us what all we would face, we probably would not have done it! Thankfully, He knows exactly when and what to share with us). He led us step by step through the process. As we walked out in faith each time, He guided us to the next step. He required our trust and obedience, and He was always faithful to provide!
Here we are just three years after launching our first church, and God has done too many amazing things to count in and through our lives and the lives of those we impacted through our obedience to God! I believe this is only because we committed ourselves to partnering with the Holy Spirit and we refused to compromise what God had called us to do.
One of the hardest lessons to learn is that we cannot control what others will do or how they will respond. We can do everything God asks, and we will still face trials and tribulations at the hands of people. Do not allow others to detour your destiny! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus!
Even when it seems like everything is falling apart, I promise you my friend, God is working it all out for your good. Rest in Him. Trust in Him. Listen to and obey Him. He will never leave you and He will make a way where there doesn’t seem to be one. I love the way the Passion Translation (TPT) paints the picture of what it looks like when we partner with the Holy Spirit:
But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you,and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me.1So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.
3. Start TODAY
People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy. Ecclesiastes 9:12 (NLT)
This verse resonated in my soul. At the start of the new year, one of our pastors shared about two families within our church who suddenly and unexpectedly lost loved ones within the past month. One was a child and one was a healthy husband and father. It reminded me that we really are naive when it comes to our time on earth. We treat it as though we have plenty of time. We make plans that we may never get to keep. We truly do not know when our time on earth is done.
Ask yourself honestly, if TODAY is the day you breath your last breath on earth, are you at peace? Have you lived with purpose? Done everything the Lord has asked of you to this point? Shared your faith with those around you? Loved well? Maintained a joyful attitude? I can honestly say that when I asked myself these questions, the answer to several of them was no. I resolved to change that in 2019. If you found yourself answering no to any of those questions, here are a few tips to help you run your race with endurance:
- Live each day with purpose, for no day is promised (James 4:13-15; Proverbs 27:1)
- Think of one thing you can do today to run the race God has called you to run…and then do it!
- Determine never to make excuses again (I can’t because…I’ll do it when…If only…)
- Pray, pray, pray! When you are excited, pray; when you are discouraged, pray; when you are afraid, pray! And continue to pray until your prayer has been answered!
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. –1 Thessalonians 16-18
How do you stay motivated to achieve your own goals? What is most challenging for you? Share your comments below.
Blessings,
Katie
