I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ~ 2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)
Recently, I was in my office early on a Sunday morning to pray before the worship services began. I have a book of prayers from Christians throughout the ages, and sometimes, I use a prayer from the book as a guide. The book is arranged by date, with a prayer for each day of the year. So, I turned to the day’s date and read the prayer.
“Lord, perfect, we beseech Thee, the faith of us who believe, and sow the good seed of faith in their hearts who as yet lack it; that we all may look steadfastly unto Thee, and run with patience the race that is set before us. Give us grace to show our faith by our works; teach us to walk by faith, having respect unto the promises: which of Thy mercy make good to us in Thine own good time, O our most Gracious Lord God and Saviour—Amen.” ~ Christina G. Rossetti
The line that caught my eye was “run with patience.” Somehow, “running” and “patience” don’t seem to belong together. It’s like an oxymoron: jumbo shrimp, icy hot, awfully good, or honest politician. When I think of running, I think of speed, progress, and momentum. I don’t think of patience.
But as I contemplated, it occurred to me that running with patience is a pretty good description of life. It feels like you’re going 90 miles an hour but making almost no headway. Everything in our society pushes us toward speed—microwave dinners, credit cards, and on-demand TV shows. But most of the important things in life require patience—raising kids, celebrating your 50th anniversary, retirement investing, making disciples, or changing the culture of the church you pastor.
So, I am learning to run with patience as I follow Jesus. It’s not always easy. What are you learning on the road with Christ?