Running the Race!
by Lynda Scott
A few weeks ago my daughter Kirilee was selected to represent her school at a big athletics carnival in Sydney. There were hundreds of children there. As I sat in the grandstand to watch the events I noticed something very amazing. I started watching the parents. Some of them had travelled for hours to be at the carnival and as I saw their children competing in the events and coming in a mixture of places, including last, these parents were absolutely beaming with pride. It didn’t matter to the parents that their children hadn’t won, hadn’t come second or third, or even had come last. What mattered was that they were in the race and they were doing their best. As the children returned from the track to their parents they were treated like heroes and smothered with love.
What I saw that day was a picture of our heavenly Father’s love for each one of us. He’s called us to run the race of life with Him, and to run it with endurance. That means we hold on even when it’s tough, and we run to finish the race. Today’s verse from Hebrews tells us how to do it - strip off any weights or sin that would hold us back, and keep our eyes on Jesus the champion, for He initiated our faith and He will perfect it.
I want you to get a sense today of how much the Father loves you. He’s like the parents in the grandstand cheering their children on in the race. He’s so proud of you. His love for you isn’t based on your performance (like the children in the race). He knows all your shortcomings and failures. But He loves you for who you are, for being in the race with Him and doing your best with whatever He has given you to do. Keep going. Listen today and you may even hear Him cheering for you!
Prayer: Dear Father, I thank You today that You’re so proud of me and You love me, even though I’m imperfect. I’m still in the race with You and still holding on. Help me to strip off any weight that would slow me down. Let me hear Your cheers for me as I run the race You’ve set before me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lynda Scott was first introduced to Ellel Ministries at a conference led by Peter and Fiona Horrobin in 1996 when she was miraculously healed following a devastating accident. Lynda has continued her association with Ellel Ministries over the years and has recently written her story “Lynda: From Accident & Trauma to Healing & Wholeness.” She lives in Australia with her husband Leigh and 3 children, who are all at school. She works in a local health clinic, as well as helping her husband with the administration of their beef cattle farm.
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