In an inspiring story titled “‘Forward is a pace’: Coastside runner conquers Leadville 100” published yesterday, it was reported that Julia Minkstein, 23, has completed three 100-mile races while managing celiac disease, sobriety, school and full-time work.
On the backside of Hope Pass, about 59 miles into one of the country’s most storied ultramarathons, Julia Minkstein wanted to quit.
The trail was steep. The wind was picking up, the temperature was dropping and Minkstein still had to climb toward the 12,500-foot pass—with roughly 40 miles left before the finish line. The 100-mile race began Aug. 22 in Leadville, Colorado, and continued into the following day.
“I was miserable,” she said. “I was like, ‘I hate this. The universe is against me. I want to quit.’”
Instead, the 23-year-old longtime Coastside resident repeated a mantra familiar to many ultrarunners: “Forward is a pace.”
As long as she could put one foot in front of the other, she was still getting somewhere.
Hours later, Minkstein crossed the finish line of the Leadville Trail 100 Run, completing a 99.7-mile course with more than 13,000 feet of elevation gain…
And, you know, in the same way, moving forward, step-by-step will get us to the finish line in a hard, physical race, moving forward step-by-step will also get us to the end of our spiritual race.
This was something Paul alluded to when he said, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,”.
The Apostle Paul wrote these words from prison, using the image of an athlete running a race to explain how to live a faithful life… especially when managing the memories of our past mistakes and the reality of our current difficulties. Rather than giving up though, this is the exact time that we need to remember that if we will just keep moving, we will not only finish strong but will grow along the way.
This is reason Paul said that he did not consider himself to have "taken hold of it yet," proving that even as a major church leader and super Apostle, he knew he still had room to grow. This humility in spirit kept Him focused on the finish line and his need for Jesus to help him make it there.
And by saying, "forgetting what is behind," Paul was refusing to let yesterday's sins, regrets, or even past spiritual successes distract him from running the race today. Instead, he describes himself as "straining toward what is ahead," using a word picture of a runner leaning forward with every muscle to cross the finish line with a single-minded focus on knowing Jesus better.
Today, this message matters because it stops guilt from bringing us to a standstill by freeing us from past mistakes, prevents pride from being a stumbling block by keeping us from coasting on old achievements, and provides a clear focus for our current life with God. In other words, Paul reminds us that forward (no matter how fast or slow that is) is a pace that we must always keep.
So, no matter what your past looks like, keep putting one foot in front of the other in your pursuit to be like Christ today my friend. Some days might be easy running and others might be hard walking, but if you keep moving forward, you will still be getting somewhere. And that somewhere is heaven… one step at a time.
Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that the Christian race will not be an easy one. Lord, help us to focus on You today and every day that we might not get sidetracked by thinking about the past but remain focused on pressing on to the future and finishing the race set before us. It's in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
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