What’s your “personal best”?
Gold medals. World records. They’re all outstanding. But some of the most content competitors in the Olympics were those who performed their personal best.
What about you? Are you living your personal best?
I’m not talking about how fast you run, how many laps you swim or how high you jump. Nor am I talking about your sales quota, test results or the year-end review.
I am talking about this long distance race of life to keep the faith till the finish line.
Are you doing what it takes to keep the faith and run in such a way to receive the crown of righteousness, the crown that will last forever that no one can take away?
Here are 5 tips to help you run your personal best in the race to keep the faith–
- Train for the race that matters. There are so many life events that we compete in, we forget which race is the one that matters. Make sure you focus your efforts on life’s race that has a reward that lasts forever. Don’t get distracted with the glimmering rewards of this life that are temporary.
- Run with others who are also running to win the prize. Last week, Almaz Ayana from Ethiopia, ran her best and set an astonishing world record in the 10,000 meter race. It was obviously her personal best. What’s amazing though, is that 17 other runners ran their personal best in that same race because of the pace she set. So look around to see who you are running with in life’s marathon, and make sure they are people who inspire you to run your best.
- Get rid of anything that slows you down or keeps you from reaching the finish line.
- Are there other life events you need to quit competing in so you can do your best in the one that really matters?
- Are you carrying around extra weight that makes it too hard to keep running–bitterness, jealousy, guilt, shame, pride, selfishness…?
- Are there habits that hinder you?
- Run with perseverance. This race isn’t the 100 yard dash. It’s a long distance race with hurdles, detours and obstacles all along the way. It’s not easy. It led Jesus to the cross, so don’t be surprised if this race involves hardships and suffering along the way. But runners who run their personal best keep running. They persevere through the difficulties.
- Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He’s already finished this race. Let him set your pace. He gives strength to the weary. He makes our faith perfect till the end.
I know I won’t be winning any gold medals or setting world records anytime soon.
But I do plan on running this race of life faithfully to the end. I’ll do my personal best as I run with others on the same race, fixing my eyes on Jesus and persevering to the finish line.
Want to run together? Share in the comments what helps you run your personal best.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3
