Hope For The HopelessSample

Running on Hope

The Apostle Paul would have liked ESPN.

His letters are full of sports metaphors. He wrote about boxing and wrestling, and most of all about running.

Sports were a big deal in the ancient world. There were the popular Isthmian Games in Corinth, the Pan-Ionian Games in Ephesus, and, of course, the Olympic Games in Athens. Sports were all the rage in Paul’s day.

The foot race was, without question, the most popular event in the ancient Wide World of Sports. Every major city had their stadium, where people would crowd in to witness the runners showing their stuff. So, when he wrote his letter to the Christians at Corinth, Paul told them:

You’ve been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. A bunch of people line up at the starting line, but only one wins. So run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for the gold medal, but that gold medal eventually tarnishes and fades. What you are after is the one that is gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I am running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got (the Authorized Ben Courson Translation).

Can’t you just imagine Paul running with abandon, his legs churning and his chest straining toward the tape? He ran like winning this race was everything. Because for him…it was.

When I was in seventh grade, I joined the track team. I had a tendency to keep glancing backward to see who was behind me. And every time I glanced back I lost some of my momentum. And the really dumb part? I wasn’t that good of a runner, so when I glanced back over my shoulder it looked like the rapture had taken place behind me.

When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he said that he was forgetting what was behind him and reaching for the prize of the upward calling of God.

Paul said he had stopped looking back. Instead, he was laser focused on the trophy that awaited the first across the finish line.

My Squad of Optimisfits and I try to maintain that same kind of focus.

We call that focus hope.

We leave the past in the dust. We forget about what is behind us. We put the pedal to the metal. The past sees only our taillights.

Hebrews says that we are to run the race set before us with endurance, keeping our eyes on the author and finisher of our faith.

In the ancient world the trophy was usually placed right there at the finish line, so that you could fix your eyes on it as you ran your race. It was the most effective kind of motivation. When your feet started to feel heavy or you began to run out of breath, you could just raise your eyes to the prize and find a fresh burst of energy.

Our hope gives us the focus to do the hard work of running well.