The next time you run at a track meet, you should wear swim fins and a life vest.
What? You won’t wear that? Why not? Well, first, everybody would laugh. Second, no one who wants to win would even think about wearing something so foolish. You’d take off the floppy fins and the bulky vest and put on your track shoes. That’s because you need to wear the right gear for the right race.
God tells us to get rid of the wrong gear we wear every day so we can run our life race. “We must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up” (Hebrews 12:1).
When you run through this life, what foolish sins slow you down? Your bad habits and hobbies or maybe even your friendships or technology can cause you to stumble. Running is no fun when you wear the wrong gear. Take it off. When you are distracted by sin, you can fall on your face. Focus on Jesus, don’t give up, and run your best race.
By the way, in God’s race, more than one person can win. So as you see your friends struggling with wearing the wrong gear, you can encourage them to get rid of everything that slows them down too, to get rid of the sin that trips them up. Help them run and never give up.
