Run.

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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Hebrews 12:1-2

In week two of this series around Hebrews 12, let us simply be reminded of our call to run.

There's a refrain in Finding Nemo where, when Marlin is dejected in the search for his son and Dory encourages him with a little song. "Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!" It's a refrain that is visited throughout the film when characters are lost or in danger.

Sometimes, in our race, we can be exhausted. We can feel lost. We can be scared. Conversely, we can get comfortable. We can start to get settled. We can stop looking ahead. But we are invited to run. When we don't feel like taking another step or when we don't feel like we need to, we're encouraged to "just keep swimming."

We'll get into more about how we're supposed to run the race in future messages, but I find comfort in knowing that this verse doesn't say we need to run fast. It doesn't say we need to even know exactly where we are going. We just need to keep running - putting one foot in front of the other - on this race that is laid out before us.

If you're running freely today, I celebrate with you! If you are struggling to take the next step, I'm praying for you. Either way, I'm glad I get to run alongside you.