The Purpose of this Exercise

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”- Hebrews 12:1-2 

What does it mean to run this race set before us? I used to battle with this text - there was so much depth to it, so much conflicting imagery as I was told that it was my own race, yet the word race would instantly conjure up people beside me in adjacent lanes, the anxious wait for the starter pistol and a barrage of noise propelling off of the surrounding landscape as people hounded and cheered along the side lines.

Our minds are interesting things. We latch onto human experience, memory and frailty as if it was our only child. As though we had birthed it ourselves and hence we lend ourselves endlessly to the responsibility of caring for it. But this verse here in Hebrews 12 is richly compounded with the promise of a recreation of human experience: the purpose of the race, the method of endurance, the goal, the prize - all these things is to be able to presently, perpetually and eternally look unto Jesus: the Author and Finisher of our faith. Who is the one creating our future? The Author. Who is the one to determine our success and our eternal joys? The finisher. Who is this? Jesus.

Why are we running? Is it self-worth motivated? Pressure from the crowd? Or are we running because we want to look until Jesus presently and forever more?