Running With Eyes Up

Hebrews pictures the Christian life as a long race run in a stadium full of witnesses, the faithful people described in the previous chapter. The instruction is to throw off whatever slows us down and the sin that so easily clings, and to run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Two words matter: marked out, because the course is not random, and perseverance, because it is long. The secret is where we look. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who endured the cross for the joy set before Him. We tend to drift when we stare at ourselves, our failures, or our neighbor's pace. Today, identify one weight, such as a habit, a grudge, or a distraction, that slows your walk with Christ. Take one concrete step to set it down, and tell a friend so you have company.