Insecurity. Jealousy. Frustration. Despondency.
These are all results of focussing too long on things that don’t matter.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but sometimes I put too much weight on what others have said and done. At times, I look around at my peers and wonder how I can’t be where they are. I see the difference in my situation compared to theirs. I hear comments that can rock me to the core if I give them the time of day.
Obviously this is not what God intended for me or anyone else. One of my favorite analogies in the Bible is when the Apostle Paul calls life a race – that we must run it to win the prize. Now I have no idea what the prize would look like, but I know how I would run to win it. I would be focussed. I would not be worried about what was happening around me. My goal would be singular and my lane unique.
HEAD DOWN
This is one of my life lessons – I know I have written about it before but it’s still as true as ever for my season. The technique of a runner is important to note – while your head is down, you are still building up to you optimal speed. Once your head is up, you have hit your stride.
I don’t know about you, but I certainly have not hit my stride yet. So I choose to keep my head down: to not look around at what others are doing, to not compare my position to theirs, to not worry about the pack being a little ahead or a little behind. Only God truly knows where we are in the ‘race of life’. Comparison and distraction are just going to trip you up.
AHEAD OF THE CURVE
There are some people who will always try to assess your race and give a commentary. With all respect – these people usually haven’t been part of your life at all and have no idea what has gone into getting to the pace you’re maintaining now.
If you watch athletics, you will know that the track is round. If you run on the outside lane, you start further forwards than someone running on the inside lane – to compensate for the curve. Everyone is running an equal distance, but their position is different at the starting blocks. In fact, a runner on the outside lane might be winning the race but still look like he is ‘behind the pack’ as they turn the bend.
So when life seems a little more lonely or you feel like you’re losing – it doesn’t mean it’s true.
KEEP UP
Who are you allowing to set the pace of your life? Are you trying to keep up with the Jones’, the Kardashians or your friends? Yes, a little encouragement from other people is important, but in the end they are not responsible for your life.
The only way we will truly ‘win the prize’ is if we allow God to set the pace of our race. He’s the ultimate motivator and the best lifecoach. He wants us to run with him. He knows what we can handle and he knows the ins-and-outs of the racetrack.
But that means you need a personal relationship with God. Not one that is determined by others – just you and God. Otherwise you will get caught up in what God is doing rather than running ahead with who he is. If you want to connect on a more personal level with God click on the link below.