Enduring the Grind

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Hebrews 12:1–3 "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. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

What It's Speaking to Me

Alarm goes off, coffee pot finishes, shoes go on, you are out the door. And somewhere between the coffee and the commute you say through gritted teeth, "Here we go again..." The daily grind has a way of making even good, purposeful work feel hollow sometimes. Monotony is one of the quietest threats to a faithful life.

I love the imagery of Hebrews 12 though, instead of monotony, it drops us into a stadium. The stands are packed with every man and woman of faith who ran their leg of the race before us. They didn't all have easy runs. But they finished, and now they're watching us run ours.

The writer says run with perseverance, which seems to imply the race is hard enough that you might want to quit. But the job, the role, the relationship, the season of life we are in right now: Is it possible God has marked out this specific race for us? The one only we can finish? When the routine tasks feel meaningless, the fix isn't to find a more exciting routine, it's to recalibrate our eyes.

Fix them on Jesus. He is both the prize and the example. He stared down the worst finish line imaginable, the cross, and kept going. Why? Because "for the joy set before him he endured." He could see past the grind to the glory. That's the secret to enduring our race too.

What Is It Saying to You?

What glory do you need to see to endure the grind?

What glory are you missing because of the focus on the grind?

What Are We Going to Do About It?

Acknowledge the race is hard, and keep running anyway.

Ask God to show you the glory, whether eternal or temporal, in what you are doing today.