Several years ago, I challenged myself to train for a half marathon. The furthest I had run to that point was five or six miles once or twice in my life (I was a solidly inconsistent 5k-er). My dad, a lifelong runner, helped me build a training plan and I spent the next four months rearranging my schedule and making choices that fit within that training schedule. My body and mind changed during training — I found the grit (and the music playlist) to push through “ugly” running days and enjoyed the days when it felt like I was flying at a lightning speed of 10-minute miles. I pictured myself on the course, crossing the finish line as a sweaty, smiley mess, and that image drove me to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
I’m currently reading a book on productivity, and today’s chapter focused on defining the purpose of what we’re doing (a task, project, hiring, etc.) before we begin planning. Once the purpose is defined, we begin to envision the outcome, and what we choose to focus on has a powerful impact on our how our brain plans and executes our steps. In a very tangible way, our focus becomes our destination. Through this chapter, God reminded me of the race metaphor the author of Hebrews and Paul use in their writings to the early church (1 Corinthians 9:24, Hebrews 12:1-2). They paint a picture of training for an endurance race, not just to finish, but to win. But they remind us of one critical part of training: fixing our eyes on Jesus. Unlike my half-marathon training, the focus is not on our glory at the end of the race but on His glory at all times in our lives. If we fix our eyes on Jesus and run this race with Him as the focus, our bodies, minds, and hearts change. As leaders, we become followers who take our cues from His training plan. We rearrange our preconceived plans and make choices that align with His direction. My favorite part of Hebrews 12:1-2 is the reminder that Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith. He is the beginning and the end, and He knows both the pain and joy of enduring. We can trust Him because He created the plan and He has perfectly executed it in His life, death, and resurrection. Now that’s a win worth focusing on. Lord, fix our gaze on You today.
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