Hebrews 12 gives great advice. It says, “Let us run with patience.”
Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and although I don’t run races like I used to when I was on my feet, I'm still in the race. And the Bible tells me to run it with patience. Whenever I think of that, I think of long-distance running, that’s what I associate with patience. I don’t know if sprinters run with patience, but I wouldn’t think so – their race is over in a blink of an eye, right? But back in high school I remember those long-distance runners – I’d be walking home after class, taking a shortcut through the field, and there they would come, passing me, huffing and puffing – miles from school.
They’d be nowhere near the cheers and whistles back at the starting line… and they’d still be a long distance from hearing the applause at the finish. Those long-distance runners were in that middle place… the hard place… the lonely place. And theirs was (as one writer put it) a long obedience in the same direction. And I'm sure it took patience to keep putting one tired foot in front of the other. But patience when it is put to the test, it becomes endurance, doesn’t it – and I guess that’s why they call them the long distance runners, endurance runners.
It’s the way I like to look at my life in this wheelchair. It’s been a long, long time since I heard the gun at the starting block – when I was a teenager learning how to cope with quadriplegia, I was just getting started in this race. And now, what with cancer behind me and four decades of quadriplegia, I am past that middle distance… and I'm not about to veer off to the left or right, this late in the race. And although I'm near the end of that long stretch in between the start and finish – I'm nearer the finish line now than I was when I first began. So I want to press on through my afflictions to reach for the prize, the high calling of knowing Christ Jesus. I want to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.” I want to run this race with patience, and finish it with confidence. In short, I want to be able to endure -- one long obedience in the same direction.
Let me ask, where are you in the race God has you in? You could be just starting out, still sprinting, still filled with excitement over your new life in Christ. Or you could be near the finish line – your body is nearly spent and heaven seems closer than ever before. But for most part, I would guess you my friend are in that long middle distance, putting one foot in front of the other, day by day, running the race with patience. But pick up your pace and hit your stride – because even now I can almost hear the cheers at the finish line. Run your race today with patience, just like Hebrews chapter 12 says… run it with endurance.
And if you need any inspiration, don’t forget this is your last day to ask for the CD testimony of my friend, Jean Swenson, who is a quadriplegic. She’s lived in her wheelchair for more than 30 years and has developed quite a skill for keeping her smile with every stride. In her CD she details a few key biblical principles which have seen her through the toughest of times. She knows that middle distance; she understands it can be a lonely, hard place. That’s why her advice is so precious – and I'm convinced whatever struggle you are going through right now, you’ll be blessed by Jean’s story. To get your free copy, just visit me today at joniandfriends.org or you can always write Joni and Friends, P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376. Until next time, thanks for running the race God's put you in alongside me – let’s keep pace together, okay? The goal is just ahead.
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