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“Heartbreak Hill”

I am preparing to do a sermon series at our church based on the Book of Philippians over the next number of weeks. As I was doing some preparation for it, a short passage caught my eye. It reads, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (3:13b-14)

Back when I was in Jr. High, we had an annual 30 km “Walkathon”. It was a fundraiser for our school. Most people walked it while others of us, being a little more adventurous, would run, hoping to “win.”

During the walk/run, many of the participants had to quit. For some, the heat would get to them. For others, the difficulty of walking that distance and on uneven terrain took their toll. Some of the teachers were commissioned to drive the course and pick up the weary and heavy-hearted and bring them back to the school.

So why were people quitting? What made this “walkathon” so challenging? I should point out that this wasn’t just a walk around the community. You see, our school was located on the edge of town. In fact the course was up and around a small mountain near the school! The first quarter of the race was on asphalt and dirt. The second quarter was up the mountain mostly on dirt roads. It was gruelling, kind of like “Heartbreak Hill” of the Boston marathon. It was at this point many people would “give up.” The third quarter was downhill followed by an easy 8 km asphalt stretch back to the school.

Hebrews 12:2-3 says, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (ESV)

So today, I want you to consider God’s love for you. You know, almost all of us have a picture of God way down in the depths of our minds that presents Him as harsh and judgemental, waiting for us to mess up so He can bop us. This image is dead wrong. We need to understand that God wants you to succeed in your race of faith way more than you do. He is constantly supplying you with every ounce of joy, desire, strength and passion you need to run your race well. His joy is seeing you run well. God is your number one fan!

In your race of faith, you might get weary, begin to stumble or limp. You may feel run over, beaten down or just tired. Take courage! Have faith!

British runner Derek Redmond trained for years in preparation for the 1992 Olympics. But on Aug 3rd, not quite halfway through the 400m qualifying run, he collapsed with a pulled hamstring. Although in pain and knowing he could qualify, he got up and continued his journey to the finish line. A man ran out onto the track and put his arm around him. Derek looked in his face and burst into tears. Derek said, “I have to finish the race.” The man said, “If you’re going to finish this race, we’ll finish it together.”

The man who ran onto the track, whose heart ripped apart when he watched Derek stumble and now was holding him up, was Derek’s father. As the crowd rose to their feet, they ran up to the finish line – where his father stopped and allowed Derek to cross the finish line alone.

We sometimes go through life thinking that we are all alone and the world is against us. But God is saying to us today, “Together we will finish the race.” If your race is turning into a crawl or you have come to the place where you just want to quit, look to Jesus Christ, “the founder and perfecter of our faith.” He gave His all for you and I so we could succeed in life and best of all, He promises to be with us and help us through our “Heartbreak Hill” times.

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