And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. – Hebrews 12:1
You don’t want to win any old race you can get. You want to win the race marked out for you. Even perseverance will only hurt your progress if you are running a race that is not marked out for you. Climbing down a ladder you don’t want to be at the top of is a perfectly good way to move up in life.
A good warrior doesn’t jump into any battle he sees just to prove he can fight. His mind is not on proving himself but on completing his mission.
As believers in Jesus what’s amazing is that the race is marked out for us, not we for the race. The reason we are running the race is not that we happen to be at the right place at the right time and it needs to be done.
No, your race is your destiny. My race is my destiny. We’re not allowed to trade in order to please ourselves. And if we can get a hold of the glory of our own course as it fits into the larger story of God, we will never want to trade. We have nothing to prove because we are approved for the task. Or it for us, rather.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10 NIV
Our races, including all the battles, mazes, so-called setbacks, and victories were made ready for our arrival at the perfect time so that God could show us off for his glory as we run. It takes discipline and perseverance to keep our minds on one journey and not to wonder, wander, and compare. But it’s joy deeper than pleasing our souls.
We’re not encouraged to run our races with perseverance because it’s easy, but because it’s worth it.