A Boost of Courage

"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." Hewbrews 12:1

I could just picture the moment when my son Joe would step up to the center podium to receive the gold medal around his neck and then stand proudly with a lump in his throat as the national anthem played. In the flurry of interviews to follow, my son, the Olympic-gold-winning swimmer, would modestly point out that it all started when his dad—that’s me—took him for swimming lessons back in elementary school.

Maybe I was a little ahead of myself. We were still getting young Joe suited up in the locker room at the local YMCA, but I was sure that he would take to swimming like a fish to water. Then we walked out to the pool.

As Joe stood shivering in his trunks, lined up on the wall with the other trainees, I made my way to the “observation room.” Through a wall-sized glass window, parents could peer in on the progress of their offspring as they mastered the basics of floating, dunking your head underwater, and later, perhaps, freestyle and the backstroke. The Olympic journey begins here, I thought to myself.

I couldn’t actually hear what was going on, but through the glass I could observe a growing problem. Joe didn’t want to go anywhere near the water. In fact, as the lesson got started he took a look at the pool, his lip started quivering, and he began to bawl. The instructor looked up at the observation window, scanning the rows of parents with a look that said, “Whose kid is this?”

Smiling sheepishly at the other parents, I made my way back out to the pool and walked my sobbing son back to the locker room for a pep talk. We agreed that every time he started to get scared, he would look up at the observation window, and I would flash him the “okay” sign. It would remind him that I was watching, that I was rooting for him, and that I knew he could do it.

It worked! At each swimming lesson, I’d take my place in the room, watch the proceedings intently, and flash Joe the okay sign whenever he glanced up. On the fateful day when the swimmers had to plunge their head under the water for the first time, Joe looked up with genuine panic in his eyes. But when I silently reassured him, he mustered up the courage and dunked under the water with the best of them.

That’s the scene that comes to mind when I read Hebrews 12:1-3. Chances are you’ve come up against some genuinely difficult struggles in your walk with Christ. Temptations and sins that seemed nearly impossible to root out. Relationships that seemed to bring more pain and sorrow than joy and peace. Circumstances that didn’t fit your picture of a victorious, protected Christian life. Those moments make bailing on God an attractive option. You reason, Why try to be faithful when all the chips are stacked against you? But when we are in the grip of fear and disappointment, up against insurmountable odds, giving up on God is the last thing we should do. Life in the ditch is just when we need Him the most!

The writer of Hebrews knew that keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus was the only way we could make it successfully through the obstacle course of life. He’s not watching to wait and scold you when you mess up. He’s watching to cheer you on! To root for you and remind you that He’s been there before you. He’s faced the temptations. He’s faced the struggles and the sorrows. In fact, He faced the cross. But through all these things, He was victorious and experienced the joy on the other side. Paul, writing to the Romans, reminds us that we, too, “are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (8:37). So He lifts His nail-scarred hand and flashes the okay sign to assure you that you can run the race and that He is there with you all the way!

Joe didn’t make it to the Olympics, but I could not have been more proud of him than in that moment when his trust in me enabled him to courageously face—and conquer—a major challenge in his life. Are you willing, in the midst of today’s trial, tomorrow’s challenge, or next week’s struggle to take your eyes off the circumstances and turn your eyes to Jesus?

He’s ready to help you in your time of need and to give you the assurance of ultimate victory in Him!

YOUR JOURNEY…

• List a few of the challenges and fears that have surfaced in your life this week. How do those challenges and fears affect your daily walk with God?
• The writer of Hebrews says that we are also to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” What are some weights and sins that are hindering your walk with God? What steps are you taking to lay them aside?
• In practical terms, looking to Jesus includes spending time in His Word, communicating with Him in prayer, and worshiping and growing with His people. What steps are you taking to make those priorities in your life?