The Race
July 28, 2002
Dear Friends,
The New Testament has several allusions in it likening our life in Christ as a race. This conjures up several images in our head. In today’s heavily competitive environment, we might think of many racers jockeying for position and using every possible advantage to beat his or her competitors. Perhaps the verse that comes to mind in this regard is “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Cor. 9:24)
We are reminded of the old joke in which two men are walking in the forest when all of a sudden they spot a large, angry-looking bear charging at them. As one of the men takes off running, he notices his companion stopping quickly to take off his boots. As he runs on, the first man yells back to his friend, “What are you doing? You can’t outrun that bear!” The man, who has just finished taking off his boots yells back “I don’t have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you!”
Although that verse in First Corinthians may give us the impression that we are in a competition to outrun one another, taking in the whole counsel of God gives us another lesson altogether. Quite to the contrary, we are not in a race against each other. In fact, only in helping each other along the way can we help ourselves in our own race. Paul’s point in this passage was to urge the brethren in Corinth, whose main problem was ecclesial schism and factions, that they needed to run this race for eternal life in a much more focussed and determined fashion. The point was not to gauge their progress by comparing themselves among themselves, but to run their very best for Christ which would include putting aside these fleshly problems which beset them.
This important point escaped the apostle’s notice for the longest time. For all of Jesus’ earthly ministry, they argued who would be the greatest among them. Jesus told them that the one who sought to be the greatest should seek to be the servant. Those who would be first would be last and those who would be last would be first. This turns our notions of competition on its head.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to run in a race that more closely mimics the race for eternal life. It was the “Run for the Cure” 10K race raising money for the fight against breast cancer. It was a run/walk meaning that you could either run it or walk it. Running time nor athletic ability did not matter. All that mattered was that you finished. What was particularly interesting was that everyone who finished was a winner. By the time I crossed the finish line to the applause of the greeters and my own medal, the first finishers had probably showered off and gone home. However, it didn’t really matter. Neither did it matter that when I finished, there were still hundreds of people running their race. We all ran for a common goal which had nothing to do with besting one another.
We should all endeavor to run our own race for eternal life to the best of our ability. It is not a competition pitting brother against brother. It is a race pitting us against our sinful desires — one of which is the desire to be the greatest. The author of the Hebrews gives us the perfect racing metaphor to end our comments when he says “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.” (Heb. 12:1-2)
Have a great week!
