When I started jogging for health reasons, I was not very optimistic. I didn’t think I could do much and almost talked myself out of the whole idea. But reluctantly I started by setting a small goal: jog for 10 minutes, walk for five minutes, and then jog again.
When I began, I immediately felt out of breath from the unfamiliar exertion, and only five minutes into the run my legs were aching. I desperately wanted to give up and stop, but I was only halfway to the first part of my goal, so I pressed on. I can’t exactly say when it happened, but after pushing through the first feelings of exhaustion and discomfort, it became bearable. Ten minutes passed, then 15. Eventually I reached my goal of jogging 30 minutes straight through.
The Bible talks about running in Hebrews 12:1–3: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
This, of course, is not referring to a 30-minute jog, but is a metaphor for our lives. To run with patience means to keep going, to not quit. This is not a 100-meter dash that is over quickly; it’s a marathon of endurance, and we need patience and motivation to reach our goal.
The first place we give up is in our minds. If we get discouraged and convince ourselves that something is too difficult, then usually it is. And that’s often when we take our eyes off the goal, and instead start thinking about feelings and circumstances.
As Christians, there is no greater motivation than to keep looking to Jesus, who endured great suffering for us with joy because He knew what it would accomplish and mean for us. And if we stay focused, things we thought we couldn’t do become possible, and one day we will say with the apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).