I love to run. It is a form of escape and therapy for me.
I love putting on my favourite playlist and running outside while I admire God’s beautiful creation. To me, this is honestly one of the best combos.
While I love to run, I’m not the best runner. I’m what they call a “slow runner” with an average pace that many runners deem their slow pace. For a bit, I would beat myself up because I haven’t managed to get my pace up yet. There are days when I feel like I’m running well, and then there are days when I am so slow that it takes me longer to finish the distance for that day.
This “slow pace” of mine is synonymous with my faith journey. I have often compared myself to others in terms of where they are at. I would see where I’m at now and see where others are at and be filled with fear when confronted with the distance between where I’m at and the finish line. This would in turn fill me with dismay, and doubt would come creeping in. Suddenly that slight cramp in my leg becomes more painful, and suddenly my breathing becomes heavier. It’s amazing how comparison emphasizes our shortcomings and even shows you things that were never even there before. One could even say that it takes a little faith to compare because you’re believing something that is not true.
But I digress.
I used to compare my pace with others a lot until recently, when I found myself hearing the same phrase over and over again, and for the first time, I really let it sink in my mind.
“Have some grace with yourself.”
The truth is, my race is not someone else’s race. Everyone’s experience is subjective—it is foolish of me to even compare. At the end of the day, I am really just using up mental energy when comparing myself to others, which could be better spent running the race. This is a key tactic of the enemy—distract her enough by her shortcomings so that she doesn’t run the race that God has for her.
But now, more than ever, I know that God has me right where He wants me. He’s running this race with me. The key is not to run faster; the key is to keep in time with Him. The key is not to get to my destination quicker; the key is to be with Him. The best part of the race is that He is running with me.
There’s so much that I can say about this, but I’ll leave it here for now.
Our Heavenly Father shows us so much grace daily, and He is not asking for perfection but hearts yielded to His will. This is not an invitation to abuse His grace but rather an invitation to lean on it—especially for those of us who suffer from that often ignored vice called “perfectionism.”
There’s no need to be perfect, just a willing heart that chooses to run while relying on His grace.
Galatians 5:7 (NKJV)
“You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?”
Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
