Ultramarathon man Dean Karnazes has exhibited impossible feats of endurance. He has run a marathon on every continent, many in extreme weather, twice. He ran a marathon in all 50 states in 50 consecutive days. Once, he ran for three days straight without stopping to sleep. He has stated that his next goal is to run a marathon in every recognized country in the world in one year’s time. His secret to these extreme stunts? Fixing his focus on the task at hand. He says that rather than looking behind to see how far he has come, he focuses on just taking the next step to the best of his abilities. There are points – when his body fails him, or the weather turns, or he runs out of food – that he would rather give up, turn back, or just stop, but with his mind focused on the end goal he commits to taking the next step.

While none of our races will probably require that we physically run for three days straight without stopping, they will require the same level of endurance and commitment. We will stumble, there will be things that we need to cast off to keep going, but in the end, we are promised that it will be worth it.

Scripture: Hebrews 11; Hebrews 12:1

Questions for Reflection:

• When have you fallen into the trap of using circumstance analysis to track your faith progress?

• Identify one of your own personal faith heroes. What is it about that person that is inspiring to you?

• What are some of the weights that you need to release to run with endurance?