Often it feels like our task is just to try harder to fix our marriage, kids, career, or the like. That if it’s to be, it’s up to me. But we must learn to discover grace and freedom in our efforts – focusing on the choices we can make and simply running our best race.
To be sure, there’s a place for ownership and intentionality. And instead of merely complaining about our situation or blaming others when things are not right we should hold ourselves accountable to fix things. Many issues are resolved by simply taking personal responsibility to improve our current circumstances.
But we must not confuse faithful stewardship with being responsible for the outcomes. To live by faith is to be bold and courageous in the work God has given us to do, while still surrendering the outcomes to him. It’s a mistake to assume the weight of outcomes we cannot actually control.
Wisdom reminds us that the fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, nor does the strongest warrior always win the battle. We’re all subject to time and chance. This means simply working harder doesn’t guarantee the outcomes we desire. We can do everything “right” and our wife might still choose to disengage from our marriage, our kids might grow increasingly distant, and job opportunities might fall through.
But, like the wise runner, we focus on the choices we can make. This means we discipline ourselves and train to be the best man, husband, and father we can be. We’re faithful in offering our excellence to God. At the same time, running to win means running to achieve our personal best, and, in this way, we don’t lose even when the outcomes appear to be a failure.
In the end, you cannot control others. And sometimes their choices will bring much heartache and grief into your story. But this is not a failure on your part when you focus simply on running your best race.
Photo by Savvas Stavrinos on Pexels
