Running the Race

Yesterday my sister Abbey ran a marathon.  Watching the marathon was genuinely one of the most fun and enjoyable things ever.  We had the race participant tracking app so that we could track where Abbey was and so that we could get to as many spots as possible to see her and cheer her on.  Aside from cheering for Abbey, we cheered for and encouraged all the people we didn’t know who were also running the course.  The amount of times that they said “thank you for being out here” or expressed some other type of appreciation was countless.  They were so grateful for the encouragement and motivation.  Being able to support the runners and encourage them to keep going also encouraged and inspired myself as a spectator.  If you’ve ever watched a marathon or really any road race (10/10 would recommend it if you haven’t), you know the atmosphere is amazing.  People are along the course cheering for anyone and everyone who runs by and the runners themselves are encouraging each other as well.  It would be so much more difficult for the race participants to complete the long and strenuous event without each other and without the support of spectators.  This is a metaphor for our lives, as our faith journey as Christians is very much the same way.

The journey of following Christ is not always easy.  It is long, challenging, and difficult at times.  We need people to pray for us and with us.  We need people who are going to challenge us in our faith and help us rise up and be better.  We need people who will encourage us and cheer us on, especially when it gets hard.  We need people who will hold us accountable.  We need people who are running the race with us.

When I think of Christianity, the key element that comes to mind is community.  Without a community, living out our faith would be so much harder.  We really cannot do it on our own and we need a community that is built on Jesus and our faith.  We need other people to help us keep the fire alive.  We need people who will share their witness with us, inspire us, and help us stay focused on God when our culture is trying to drag us down.

There is so much power in a strong faith community.  Taking time to walk with others on the journey is vital for us to experience growth and a deeper relationship with Jesus.  Whether it’s a text message checking in with someone to see how things are going, a phone call or letter, or sitting down with someone to talk about faith, these seemingly small actions all make a huge difference.

Whether it’s a retreat group, a Bible study or book group, or just a group of friends, there are so many amazing Catholic communities we can be a part of.  We just have to seek them out.  Aside from people who are here and living among us, we also have a powerful community of saints up in heaven, cheering us on, praying for us, and helping us walk more closely with Jesus.
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We all have a race to run.  It is long and challenging at times.  And even if it seems like we are ever alone, we must remember that we all have at least one community who is there for us, praying for us, sharing their faith, and offering the support we need.  Life is a lot like a marathon, allow others to run it with you and cheer you on and to help you run closer to Jesus.