Comment by Harborough churches: The Bible gives the secret to running the race of life

Viewpoint by Phil Chapman, Pastor of Living Rock Church in Market Harborough

This is already quite the summer of sport! The Euros, Wimbledon and the upcoming Olympics give us the chance to marvel at men and women, expert in their field, competing at the very highest level.

Right at the other end of the scale, we have people like me. Enthusiastic? Maybe. Expert? Definitely not!

I have been running regularly for the last few years. I am getting a bit quicker but I’m sure an expert would tell me that I’m doing it all wrong. I have learned some things, though. I tend to run on the country roads near where I live and therefore have to be on constant lookout for traffic. One thing I know is that I cannot run straight ahead if I am looking back over my shoulder. To run most efficiently, I need to be looking directly ahead.

Life can be a bit like this too. We can be running along quite nicely, but then there is a distraction to the left or right of us, a work crisis or a parenting challenge, a financial conundrum or relationship breakdown and all of a sudden, we’re off course and struggling to find our rhythm.

Worse still, a look over the shoulder to see past mistakes that still haunt and embarrass us even years later can cause us to lose our stride completely and come to an undignified halt.

The Bible gives the secret to running the race of life all the way to the end. It says we do this by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. At a very simple level, that’s what a Christian is; someone who is keeping their eyes fixed on Jesus, trusting that He is who He says He is. Knowing that He is with us when life’s challenges cross our path, being sure that whatever our past may look like there is no-one He will turn away if we choose to follow Him.

Being a Christian doesn’t make a person immune from the challenges of life, far from it. But I, and many thousands of others like me, have known God’s peace in times of crisis, His comfort in times of grief and an eternal hope when all around seems hopeless.

So, whether you’ll be glued to the television screen this summer or doing your best to escape all the sweating and grunting, keep this running tip in mind – you’ll not be disappointed.

By Phil Chapman, Pastor of Living Rock Church in Market Harborough