God is Cheering You On, Just Look Up

About three years ago, I ran in a race held by my school in France. There were four different categories of runners, separated by age, and I was in the second to last group. While waiting I sat with my friends in the bleachers, watching the other runners. When the second category of runners were about halfway through the race, an announcement went out for runners in the third and fourth categories to meet at the designated place for stretches and warm-ups. One of my friends glanced at me, “you ready?” Shrugging, I admitted that I was ready but also a wee bit nervous. My friend smiled. “When you’re running and tired and you want to give up…just look up here at me. I’ll be cheering you on. Just look up.”

As I think back to my friend’s words, I can’t help but imagine Jesus saying those exact same words to us. When you’re running and tired and you want to give up…just look up here at Me. I’ll be cheering you on. Just look up.

God is Faithful Every Step of the Way

I started that race with a good pace and placement between other runners. The first three-fourths of the race were a breeze, but by the time I got to the last bit I was tired. Part of the course involved a small hill and, as I ran down it, I stumbled on a loose rock and tripped. My whole body was cramping, my knees were bleeding, I was breathing hard, my head was pounding, and for a split second I wondered: should I keep going?

When you’re stuck in the middle of a race – whether the literal sport or a season of life – you’re hurting, and you’re exhausted. At that point it’s easier to just give up. But in that moment of doubt I remembered my friend’s words, just look up. So, I did. I looked up on the bleachers, – scanning the crowd of jumping, yelling, excited middle schoolers and high schoolers – and there my friend was cheering me on.

Sometimes we get this idea in our heads that once we fall God will stop cheering us on. You want the truth? God already knows we’re going to fall. Because we have time and time again. His faithfulness does not depend on our faithfulness. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:13.

When you’re weary and wondering if you should give in to defeat…look up. He is cheering you on. Because though we will fail God time and time again in this life, He will never fail us. He is faithful through it all. “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.”-Psalm 36:5.

Know His Voice, Listen for His Voice

While running the race, I couldn’t hear my friend’s voice unless I was close to the bleachers and listening specifically for it. And, even then, if I hadn’t known my friend’s voice by heart it would have been nearly impossible to pick it out of the loud and enthusiastic cheers of other students.

This life is full of voices. Your journey, your race, will be full of voices. If you don’t know the voice of your King by heart, you are going to get distracted, overwhelmed, and confused. And you cannot hear His voice if you are far away. To run our race well, as children of God, we must be drawing ever nearer to the One who sustains us (Psalm 55:22). And when we are near enough to truly hear, and dwell on, His voice we must memorize it by heart and cherish it in our souls, so that we can always recognize it…no matter the other distractions.

John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” God knows His sheep; they are engraved on His heart. And, as His sheep, we should know our shepherd! If we do not recognize His voice and follow it, we will end up in dark valleys, hopeless ravines, and lonely nights. So, ask yourself: do you know your Shepherd’s voice?

Will you hear Him cheering you on?

Run Your Race Well for Jesus

Every runner needs motivation. In the race outlined above, my motivation was my friend. When I felt like giving up, they made me want to keep going. For them. They believed in me…I wanted to do my best. For them.

Who is your motivation in your Christian race? Your journey in this messy thing called life? Friend, if Jesus isn’t your heart’s first and dearest desire you will not finish the race well. Philippians 3:13-14 says, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Always remember, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”-Psalm 46:1.

I know this race isn’t always easy. I know sometimes life hurts. But the next time you’re overwhelmed, just imagine Jesus smiling down and whispering, hang on, little one. When you’re running and tired and you want to give up…just look up here at Me. I’ll be cheering you on.

 Just look up.