A Great Cloud of Witnesses

Hebrews 12:1 speaks of a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on to run with perseverance the race before us. This made me think of 3 things:

1) The movie Insurgent where 5 people escaped their post apocalyptic city, ran through the fringe and made it to the Bureau where people knew them because they had been watching their struggles and challenges and perseverance with their hi tech devices. It made me realize there are those in heaven watching our race, cheering us on in our earthly struggles to persevere and endure and keep running.

2) My husband ran an endurance race and here is the picture (I didn’t take it cuz I’m in it) of all the people that came to cheer him on. Family, friends, acquaintances were there, people from other states and countries were there to cheer him on. Each had a different reason and a different job: some ran with him, some washed his feet, some fed him, and the rest supported his effort. People we can’t see or remember were cheering Nick on. Remember, you have a great many witnesses in heaven, cheering you on in your race.

3) All this thinking about running a race made me want to go for a run even though running is one of my least favorite things to do, but since I have a great cloud of witnesses cheering me on, I decided to suck it up and do it. I did need my playlist because of all those voices of defeat that come up and make me want to stop running, but my playlist reminded me to stop listening to those voices and remember, I am a child of the One True King, There is Hope in front of me, and I refuse to keep doing the same things that keep me defeated.

So, today, I want to encourage you to “Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and run with perseverance the race marked before you,” because others are cheering you on.