Born To Run

The Finish Line
Life is a lot like running in a race. This race is not about competing with other runners, it ‘s about running along a course that’s been mapped out for each of us. Your course is different than mine, but it’s right for you. My course is unique and it’s right for me. The writer of Hebrews says, “Let’s run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

In this kind of race the way we run is nearly as important as getting to the finish line. Everyone will finish, but the big question is, ‘How will we run? When I think about my life as a long distance race, it helps me to stay focused on the important stuff and keeps everything else in perspective. At the end of his life Paul, the Apostle, said, “My life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” (2 Timothy 4:6-7)  When I finish my race I hope I can say the same thing.

Natural-born Runners
Deep down, we all seem to understand that we were born to run. There’s a longing and a hunger to discover why we were placed on planet Earth at this time. Once we know why, we can focus on running our race with purpose. The problem for many of us is that we don’t have the answer to, ‘Why?’  And even before we have the answer there’s a restless desire to start running.  Bruce Springsteen captured this desperation and longing in his rock anthem, ‘Born to Run.’  He sings about getting out of his hometown while there’s still time to escape:

“Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It’s a death trap, it’s a suicide rap
We gotta’ get out while we’re young
`Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run”

Many of us may not have a destination in mind, but we know for sure that we want to be somewhere else. So we spend our energy running away from something. As ‘Born to Run’ ends, Springsteen expresses hope that he will get to a better place in life, but the destination and timing are still unclear.  One thing is clear, he knows that he was born to run.

“Someday girl I don’t know when were gonna’ get to that place
Where we really want to go and we’ll walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us, baby we were born to run”

What Your Destination?
When I discovered that my life had a destination it changed the way I ran my race. I found out that my destination was not a place; it’s was a person. “Let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)  Jesus has already finished his race and now he serves as our role model. He’s the one who makes it possible for us to run with endurance. His role is to lead us to the Father. His role is not to save us from an angry God, but to bring us to a loving Father. God is love and the very essence of this character is love. He loves all his children and wants to welcome them home to be with him…always.

Perhaps this loving Father is not the God you know. Maybe you’ve been taught that God is angry with you. Maybe you’re afraid that someday when you meet him you’ll be in big trouble. Well, I can confidently say the Father that Jesus presented and the one that the Bible describes is not mean or angry or vindictive.  And he certainly does not take pleasure in seeing people get punished.  In fact, his highest priority is to restore lost children and see that they find their way home.

Homeward Bound
Still not convinced? Check out the story in Luke 15:11-32.  Jesus told this story to communicate in the most clear and powerful way how our Father in heaven responds to a lost child who returns home. In this case, a son had spent his inheritance, engaged in the worst kind of behavior and disgraced his family name. What kind of punishment should be handed down? How should the father respond to the wayward son?  How about this response, run out to meet him? Verse 20 describes the scene. “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” How’s that for a homecoming!

You were born to run. We’re all runners. And whether you know it or not, your destination is the Father’s house. If you’re running with your eyes on Jesus, that’s wonderful. You may be running away from something, or you may just be running, period. No matter where you’re headed, be sure of this: the Father’s love is drawing you back home with every step.  His heart and his arms are open wide.  He’s thinking about you right now. Yes, you were born to run, but you can never outrun the Father’s love.

Copyright 2014 John H Briggs