Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni and Friends.
When my husband, Ken, retired from school teaching ...he did so because, well, he taught almost 35 years and because he was getting older, he decided that he’d better travel with me now while he can still lift me pretty easily in and out of airplane seat and hotel bed and in and out of my wheelchair. Ken knows he’s got to stay in shape; and so, when we do travel together, he makes certain to pack his running shorts and Nikes, because if there’s a break in the schedule, you can bet that my husband will be out there on the sidewalk jogging early in the morning before we head to our first appointment.
Now, here’s the thing: the weather is icy cold out right now, but that doesn’t change things for Ken. We were in the mid-west not long ago and there’s Ken out there running with...shorts on?! You got it, he’s a funny looking sight, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, scarf, and gloves and ... nylon running shorts and bare legs… in the middle of winter. Go figure!
But you know they tell me that even the best runners — the professional types, the ones in Olympic training — runners like these know better than to run with a heavy layer of clothing. What do you know...they strip down to shorts in cold weather, too!
Now, there is a lesson in here for us. It’s a great one, because running the race for Christ requires that we lay aside every hindering weight and the sin that so easily burdens and besets us — those running instructions are from Hebrews 12:1: Running for Christ means stripping down to the bare minimum and racing with lives unburdened and unencumbered. Not only do we need to be free to run well, but his race requires perseverance. Perseverance literally means to remain under or to stay under the strain without seeking a way of escape from the pressure.
Friend, life is not a cake walk; our race is downright stressful. The icy cold winds of adversity and the temptation to lighten up...or bundle up, easing our pace or choosing a more comfortable route. But this race shouldn’t be run for our own satisfaction; no, we run for Jesus...not for our glory, but for his. We run for the advancement of his kingdom, for the rescuing of lost souls. We run for the rearing of godly families and for our lives on display.
If you like to see the kind of race I'm running these days at Joni and Friends, then I invite you to spend a few minutes with me today on my radio page at JoniandFriendsradio.org. My husband and I -- along with the entire team at the ministry -- are racing, we are, with lives unburdened and unencumbered. Friend, we are like you -- we know that time is short and the opportunities are unprecedented, absolutely unparalleled. People with disabilities need to know the good news of Jesus Christ and we at Joni and Friends are in a race -- not a cake walk -- no, we are running, and grabbing as many people off the sidelines as possible to run with us until we all reach that finish line. See what we've got going on today at JoniandFriendsradio.org... and share a few comments with me while you're there.
Oh, one more thing. I’ve got a trip coming up and we’re heading east into the cold. I’ll be packing tonight and so will Ken. For me it’ll be sweaters and jackets and for Ken nylon running shorts and his Nikes. Despite the cold when he runs, Ken is laying aside any weight and every encumbrance and anything that would drag him down. And you know what, we can take a lesson from this husband of mine who loves to run. You and I would do well to do the same.
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