Life is a Marathon Not a Sprint

You’ve probably heard the saying before, “Life is a marathon not a sprint.” It’s a true saying and it applies to our spiritual life too. Our walk with Christ isn’t meant to be a sprint. I remember when I first started in God’s ways and felt great. I didn’t feel invincible, but I felt good. Life was good because I was so connected with God that my relationship with Him flourished. As a result, all aspects of my life prospered and were made easier because of this intimacy with God. But then came the stumbles and the falls. I quickly realized how imperfect I am.

I found myself one day looking back at my early days as a Christian. I would beat myself up and tell myself, “I wish I could have stayed in that state consistently.” Oftentimes I felt like I had ruined my testimony. But then I realized how everything we go through in life serves as a means to humble us. If I had stayed in that state, who knows how I would feel today. I would probably feel like some sort of super Christian, that is immune to the struggles of life and sin. But things didn’t play out that way, and I’m grateful they didn’t.

Because I’ve encountered falls and struggles in my walk, I’ve come to realize how much I actually need God. The experiences that we go through humble us, but they also push us to depend more on God. We come to realize how weak and feeble we are and how much we truly need God to succeed. The emphasis isn’t us on, it’s on Him. We’re small, but our God is great.

It’s hard to say you’re thankful for the negative experiences in your life when you’re actually going through them in real time. But when God gives you the privilege to look back on those experiences, you come to realize how they were beneficial. All things truly work together for good. I’m not implying that sinning is good or that disconnecting yourself from God is okay. What I’m saying is that if God allows us to make it through those moments, we should be thankful.

God is a good Father. I look back at the story between Pharaoh and Moses. It says that God hardened the Pharaoh’s heart. I hope that God never hardens our hearts. We also should make an effort to not bring this upon ourselves. That’s why it’s always a good day to come to Christ. We’re breathing and that alone tells us that there’s hope. If you’re not breathing there isn’t any hope. Your journey has ended. But because you’re reading this I know that you are breathing and thus, there is still hope.

The word says that God doesn’t cast away anyone that comes to Him. It doesn’t matter what your background is or what you’re going through, there is hope for you and I in Jesus. More than two thousand years ago he suffered a humiliating death on the cross of Cavalry. He was scarred and injured and was nearly naked. Everyone looked on and all those that said they loved Him and would follow Him to the end were nowhere to be seen. But God’s loves runs deep and He suffered this out of love for you and me.