{"id":1035,"date":"2018-12-12T13:51:34","date_gmt":"2018-12-12T13:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=1035"},"modified":"2018-12-12T13:51:34","modified_gmt":"2018-12-12T13:51:34","slug":"races-god-sets-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2018\/12\/races-god-sets-us.html","title":{"rendered":"The Races That God Sets Before Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"endurance-exercise-female-40751\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of[<\/sup>the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.\u201d\u00a0 Hebrews 12: 1-2 (NRSV)<\/p>\n

God has set a race before each one of us. Or rather, I would argue that He sets \u201craces\u201d before us.\u00a0 Periodically during our lives, he tells us, \u201cI have something I want you to achieve.\u00a0 It won\u2019t be easy.\u00a0 You won\u2019t be able to do it with your own talents, but with my help, you can achieve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout my life, God has stepped in and helped me achieve things that I could never had achieved on my own. God enabled me to go to law school and become a lawyer, when growing up, I knew no lawyers, and I had no idea what was involved in becoming a lawyer.\u00a0 Moreover, I didn\u2019t even have an undergraduate degree that would have prepared me for a legal career.\u00a0 But God wanted me to serve the underprivileged by becoming a lawyer.\u00a0 And that is what God has had me do with my life, against all odds.<\/p>\n

The thing I\u2019ve learned is that when God sets a goal for us, that doesn\u2019t mean that He is going to make the path easy. So, realize that obstacles in your path are not a sign that God doesn\u2019t want you to achieve a certain goal.\u00a0 That is why I appreciate the author\u2019s powerful words in the book of Hebrews, when the author says that Jesus, \u201cwho for the sake of[<\/sup>the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame.\u201d\u00a0 The pain of the cross wasn\u2019t a sign that Jesus wasn\u2019t doing the will of God.\u00a0 Quite the converse.\u00a0 The pain Jesus endured on the cross was part of God\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

In the same way, when we encounter obstacles, we can\u2019t allow them to discourage us. Instead, when we are presented with obstacles, God wants us to seek Him out.\u00a0 He wants us to pray to Him for the strength to endure whatever trial we are facing.\u00a0 He wants us to ask Him for the wisdom to know how to best handle any problem.\u00a0 And then when we do achieve our goals, it will be clear to us that we achieved our goals only because of His intervention.<\/p>\n

I can assure you that I have achieved nothing in my life without the intervention of God. My own intellect and strength have been insufficient to meet the tasks that God has set before me.\u00a0 But I know (I know!) that God does not place a goal in our hearts that He will not help us fulfill.\u00a0 If we do our small part, He will do His very large part.<\/p>\n

When my husband was in the hospital this past summer, and for a time was on life support, I thought, \u201cHow will I endure this stress? I don\u2019t have it in me.\u201d\u00a0 And in fact, I didn\u2019t have the strength.\u00a0 But God stepped in and gave me the strength to be there for my husband and the presence of mind to oversee his medical care.<\/p>\n

While my husband was in the hospital, I was working during the day, and every night I drove 90 minutes (each way) to visit him after work. Many times, I thought to myself, \u201cI am so exhausted.\u00a0 How can I possibly sustain this schedule of work and nightly hospital visits?\u201d\u00a0 But for 45 days, I did just that.\u00a0 God gave me the strength to do my job and to still be able to drive out and see my husband at the end of each day.\u00a0 He protected me while I drove so I didn\u2019t have an accident.\u00a0 He also helped me to arrive at the hospital each day with a cheerful attitude to encourage my husband.\u00a0 None of that was my own doing.\u00a0 My ability to do that was due to the grace of God in my life.<\/p>\n

Do you currently have a race set before you? Does it seem as though what God is asking you to do is just too hard?\u00a0 I have felt that many times in my life.\u00a0 And each time, when I have asked God for help to get me from Point A to Point B, He has done just that.\u00a0 So, keep your eye on the finish line of the race that God has set before you.\u00a0 And know that He will give you the strength, talents and wisdom that you need to accomplish your goal.<\/p>\n

(Photo Courtesy of Pexels)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cTherefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of[the joy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Races That God Sets Before Us - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Races That God Sets Before Us - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cTherefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of[the joy…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2018\/12\/races-god-sets-us.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-12T13:51:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/files\/2018\/12\/endurance-exercise-female-40751.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meerabelle Dey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Races That God Sets Before Us - 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