Unforeseen Obstacles
Hebrews 12:1,2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
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. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Do you remember this scene from last June? The Tour de France kicked off its first stage with a huge pile-up. A fan who wanted to say hi to her grandma and grandpa on TV stepped in front of the racers and took out nearly every single cyclist.
Imagine being one of those cyclists. Imagine being Jasha Sütterlin. He trained for months for this, the biggest race of the year. The first stage was going well. He was making decent time. He only had the last 28 miles of a 122 mile stage to go. And then CRASH! It’s not fair! He’d worked so hard! In the pile-up he got hurt and had to pull out of the race. There was nothing he could’ve done differently.
The Apostle Paul and the writer to the Hebrews compare the Christian life to a race. As we run toward the goal, we fix our eyes on the prize: heaven with our Savior Jesus.
How’s your race going? Have you encountered unforeseen obstacles?
Unforeseen obstacles are bound to come. Unblazed trails; a trip hazard; a detour. A sudden loss; oppressive circumstances; unimaginable disappointments.
The past two years were certainly unforeseen. This has been much more than just a bump in the road. Has your faith been able to keep up?
Or have you found yourself running off the path? Was it easier to be kind to your neighbor in 2019 than in 2021? Do you find yourself lashing out more than you did two years ago? Have ongoing uncertainty and instability borne more fruits of selfishness, impatience, and defensiveness?
What’s more, have these unforeseen obstacles weakened your gaze on Christ? Has your faith begun to wilt? Have the obstacles caused you to deviate from the narrow path for a broader highway?
It’s not fair! The race was going so well! There was nothing you could have done to prevent these unforeseen obstacles. How could you avoid crashing when there was no way around? Will you be able to finish the race?
We have one who has gone before. The writer to the Hebrews calls Jesus “the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Jesus himself has blazed the trail. He has surmounted every obstacle for you. He has won the prize which brings salvation to all people. His seat at God’s right hand guarantees you will stand in heaven.
We run the race marked out for us. We don’t have to blaze our own trail. As Paul says, we are being trained for righteousness. This not to earn our salvation which has already been earned. Rather, it is to put aside everything that would draw us away from Jesus our Savior. Moved by the Spirit, we come to God in repentance and trust in Jesus for forgiveness. Empowered by the Spirit, we keep running the race bearing fruits not of selfishness, impatience, or defensiveness, but of “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22,23). “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).