Run Your Own Race
Have you ever thought that you wanted to try something new or accomplish something that you had never done before, only to realize that maybe you had bit off more than you could chew? If you know me just a little bit, you know that I’m not a runner, yet in the fall of 2012 I was determined to make this a goal. I was going to enter and complete a 5K for the first time in my life.
It’s worth noting that I’m not a runner, I’m not built to run, and it’s not in the least bit interesting to me. Yet, I had been challenged and I wasn’t going to at least not give it a try. So, I downloaded the Couch-to-5K app for my phone, and I started. I think I may have gotten a week in and had already fallen off the proverbial truck. While the training in and of itself wasn’t difficult, it just wasn’t something I looked forward to. It was honestly more drudgery than enjoyment.
But the challenge was still on, so I decided that I wouldn’t quit or throw in the towel, but that I’d keep training. To make a long story short, several weeks had passed and the time had come to run the 5K. The goal, in my mind, was to run the entire race and beat others in my division (because no one wants to be last). Yet the reality was I didn’t have the endurance to run the entire race and for a portion of the 5K I found myself walking just so I could catch my breath to make it to the end. I remember while I was walking, I was beating myself up as others were passing me at a quicker pace and I was feeling more and more like a failure. I had to deal with feelings of embarrassment and shame that at 31 years old, I couldn’t even run a 5K without slowing down to walk.
Unbeknownst to me, the Lord had a very valuable lesson for me to learn. The Apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 10:12b writes these words: “But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” What I learned that day was that I had the wrong goal. I had been looking at others and setting them as my standard, as my goal. Because I had become so focused on beating others around me, I had not found reason to give thanks and celebrate how far I had come.
I don’t want you to misunderstand, I still had a long way to go. There was plenty of room for future improvement, no doubt. Yet I was busy comparing myself to others, and missing out on the joy and excitement that came from taking inventory of what I had accomplished. My problem was that I was busy comparing myself to all those about me, when, the only competition I needed to be concerned with was myself.
There is a powerful life application to be made here. Many times we “run around” comparing our lives and circumstances with others. Sometimes we walk away puffed with pride and thinking I’m glad I don’t have the problems they do. At other times, we look at people around us and are filled with jealousy and bitterness because we want what they have and aren’t satisfied where we find ourselves.
What happens when we start comparing is that we stop rejoicing and giving thanks. Teddy Roosevelt said it best when he said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” The Apostle Paul said it’s just not wise to compare yourselves. Instead of being filled with gratitude for what we have or what the Lord has enabled us to accomplish, we start looking around and find our hearts filled with disdain and jealousy that we don’t have better or didn’t get more done.
As a child of the King of Kings, the only measure we ought to be comparing ourselves to is that of Jesus Christ. When He becomes the standard, all of a sudden, the picture is clear, we’ve still got work to do. But take heart friend, because we are promised in 1 John 3:23, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
We are promised that there will come a day when all that God is working in us will be made complete and we will be like Jesus. That is our hope! But until that time comes, run your own race! Don’t compare yourselves with others, instead look to Jesus and strive to be more like Him. When you’re tempted to compare yourself to others, pause along the way and rejoice for what He has given and the accomplishments He has blessed. He is our goal, so keep your eye on the prize!