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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

Covenant Family,

I did something last week that I haven't done in a while. I didn't send a "Covenant Weekly." I forgot about it until late on Tuesday evening. That's happened before. But then I did something which, for me, was crazy. I decided not to send it. I could have put something together and gotten it out, but I decided that other things - specifically spending time with my son, getting very urgent work done, and taking time to breathe - were more important for me last week than sending out the e-mail. Thanks for your understanding. I hope and pray you will have the courage this summer to say no to some good things when they conflict with what is more important.

Today I want to reflect quickly on the last sentence of Hebrews 12:1-2. Here we, as the reader, are encouraged to run with perseverance (not giving up) the race marked out for us. Does this imply that every step on our journey is planned out for us and we simply need to figure it out and fall in line? I don't think so. What I do think it implies is that we need to embrace our unique journey and not to run someone else's race.

In Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero suggests the following: The vast majority of us go to our graves without knowing who we are. We unconsciously live someone else's life, or at least someone else's expectation for us.

I know how easy it is to make decisions based on fears I've inherited, worries about what someone else will think, or expectations others have (or I think they have) of me. In the process I find joy is robbed, I become ineffective, and usually, I don't please the other person anyway!

Hebrews 12:1-2 suggests that you and I are created uniquely (see 1 Corinthians !2) and, as a result, we each have our own race to run. The best thing we can do - for ourselves and for others - if we want to thrive is to do the hard (and often scary) work of discerning where we are simply trying to live the life someone else has placed on us. That can be scary because it involves vulnerability. It can be hard because it involves work. It can be beautiful because it invites us deeply into grace.

And that is where the verse ends . . . "keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." This is essential because Jesus is the one who truly knows who we really are. He knows this better than anyone - including ourselves. And he loves you. And he loves me. He longs to save us from any false selves we've been living and join him in living "life to the full." If we try to live our lives looking at previous family generations we hear all kinds of inherited expectations for us that might not be who we are. If we try to live our lives looking at those around us we will hear a variety of messages about what we need to be or have or accomplish, but those aren't who we are either. In Jesus we find one who sees us and wants to walk beside us with love and patience and grace inviting us to be all he created us to be in the first place - and in that place to be truly free.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:2

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36

If you would like some help moving into the freedom Jesus has for you, I would invite you to consider a few things:

  • Begin to make shape your life in a way that will help you keep your eyes on Jesus. That may mean prioritizing time who point you to him. That may mean spending less time with those who do not. That may mean reading some excellent devotional material. That might mean stopping reading some devotional material because the authors are the ones you are really watching and not Jesus.
  • Join a course that will help you explore these ideas a little bit more. (Watch for our next sessions of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and Emotionally Healthy Relationships.)
  • Sit with a transformational life coach to take some personal inventory of your uniqueness. (We have some trained coaches who are a part of our congregation. Some can walk you through a powerful personal assessment to help you really understand how God has uniquely wired you. If you let Pastor Jon know, he'd be happy to connect you with one.)
  • Meet with a therapist to help you work through your wounds and habits. I put this one off for years out of a) fear and b) cost. Please don't make my mistake. We have one Christian counselor in this area who can work on a sliding scale if the cost is an issue. Chigamik offers free walk-in counseling on Tuesdays from 12-5 pm in Midland. (http://www.chigamik.ca/your-health/mental-health-walk-in-clinic/) And many extended health plans offer benefits to cover some counseling appointments.

I thank God for those of you are running your race. That is a gift to yourself and to those of us around you. Those of us who struggle with running someone else's race . . . may we be assured that God is so gracious to us in our struggles and may we extend that same grace, love, and forgiveness to ourselves. And, from that secure place of grace, may we keep our eyes on Jesus as he invites us into the race set out before us . . . running together in ways where we are all fully alive and free!!

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