Embracing the Race

“When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If it I my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.’” John 21:21-22

Poor Peter! He always seemed to take one step forward and three steps back even though he absolutely adored Jesus. Jesus had just reinstated Peter by asking Him three times to ‘feed His sheep’, the same number of times that Peter had denied Him. Things were back on track between them until Jesus suggested that Peter would be martyred as a result of His call. Peter’s response to Jesus can still be heard across the centuries rolling off our own lips…‘What about him ... her ...them?’

Peter was not the first person to compare himself to others, understanding that his painful circumstances were inevitable, and he wouldn’t be the last. I can remember specifically questioning God when my child was living in darkness. There was someone in my life who had never taken their children to church and hadn’t had much to do with God. Her children thrived in everything they did, and the contrast couldn’t be more drastic…‘Lord, what about her?’ Even when my loved ones were walking through cancer, I could look around and hear the wonderful news of others being cured despite our lack of healing…‘What about them?’ What do we do with the reality that God calls different hardships for different people according to His plan?

I believe that the answer is beautifully found in Hebrews 12:1-2. We consider all the past Christians who have inspired us by their faith and courage in heartbreaking circumstances. We glean from them the gems that they mined and the testimony that they shared. We lay aside fear, doubt and despair because they’re counterproductive and burdensome. We stay in our lane and avoid any temptation that could detour us to sin. And most importantly, we embrace the race that God has given us instead of coveting the race of another. And then…we run! And we run harder and we run faster, never losing sight of the race Jesus won for us.

"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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." Hebrews 12:1-2