It’s not uncommon for seasoned runners to encourage newer runners to “run your own race.” You’ll often find this bit of colloquial wisdom on running websites and blogs of ultra-athletes, but it also shows up in articles on non-athletic topics where the author uses running as a metaphor to encourage his readers to stop comparing themselves with others and to do their own work.
The phrase, “run your own race,” is essentially an exhortation to resist the temptation to compare ourselves with others. In a foot race, it’s best not to focus primarily on the other athletes but to run according to one’s own plan and goals for running. Taking this posture guards the athlete from making fatal mistakes before and during their race.
For example, in preparation for a race, a runner may learn that their friend and fellow competitor has added a new supplement to their diet to enhance their workouts. Taking a cue from their friend, this runner may add that same supplement to their training regimen only to find out on race day that the addition of that supplement wreaked havoc on their digestive system and overall energy level. During a race, a runner may see another participant initially moving at a quicker pace and then try to match that pace, eventually succumbing to mid-race burnout because they did not stick to their original plan. They were enticed to quicken their stride beyond their abilities by looking at how other racers were running.
The “Race” of the Christian Life
The Scripture often likens the Christian life to a race (see 1 Cor 9:24; 2 Tim 4:7; Heb 12:1-2). It’s a fitting metaphor because many elements of physical running have a spiritual correspondence in the Christian life. We need to train well, feed our souls with proper nutrition, strip off anything that weighs us down, and keep moving even when we don’t feel like it.
The adage, “Run your own race,” is no exception. When the author of Hebrews exhorts his readers to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb 12:1), he is reminding us that the Christian life is not a sprint, but a marathon. But as in any race, we can’t compare ourselves with others and mimic another Christian’s training and pace on race day. Just like every athlete is different, so is every Christian. We all have differing spiritual gifts, natural abilities, life callings, sinful proclivities, educational backgrounds, and a host of other factors that render it unwise to compare our pace with another’s.
For the Christian, the goal of running the Christian race is to finish. To be sure, we run to win the prize (1 Cor 9:24), but we are not in direct competition with other Christians as we run. In an athletic event, participants compete to take the top place on the podium and secure the reward for winning. If someone takes first place, that means no one else takes first place. The Christian life is different because all Christians receive the prize of eternal life when they finish. While rewards may differ, the quality of eternal life does not (Matt 20:1-16; John 17:3). We are all saved by God’s grace, not our own works (Eph 2:8-10; Rom 4:5).
As we strip off unnecessary bulk and fix our eyes on our Savior who persevered in his race, we are enabled to keep moving in our own.
Christians, therefore, must calibrate their training and pace with the sole aim of finishing their race. We can’t do anything that may endanger this goal. To this end, the author of Hebrews instructs us to lay aside every weight and sin and to look to Jesus as we run (Heb 12:1-2). As we strip off unnecessary bulk and fix our eyes on our Savior who persevered in his race, we are enabled to keep moving in our own.
Strip Off Every Weight
Because the author makes a distinction between “every weight and the sin that clings so closely,” we must conclude that it is not enough to merely resist outright sin in our Christian life. Yes, sin will certainly slow us down. But we must also be ready to set aside anything that keeps us from running with endurance. Paul said it like this: “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful” (1 Cor 6:12; emphasis added).
When an athlete is preparing for or running their race, there are some things that they cannot do or they will face disqualification. For example, prior to the race you cannot take unauthorized substances to enhance performance. During the race, you cannot attack another racer or cut the course. These infractions will see you speedily removed from the competition.
But there are also practices in which we shouldn’t engage because they will simply slow us down. These activities may not disqualify us, but they will load us with unnecessary weight. Filling our body with greasy, fried foods and tons of refined sugars while training won’t get us kicked out of a race, but it will slow down our body significantly and perhaps keep us from reaching the finish line.
When the author exhorts us to lay aside every weight, he is instructing us to do away with anything that slows or hinders our pace in the Christian life. It’s not just the obvious, blatant sins that can slow us down. It may be something good and lawful that begins to take up too much of our time, energy, thoughts, and money, and which begins to shift our attention away from Christ and our eternal reward.
When the author exhorts us to lay aside every weight, he is instructing us to do away with anything that slows or hinders our pace in the Christian life.
Admiring the view while you are on your trail marathon in the mountains is fine. But if you stop and give yourself to staring at the scenery, you will never finish the race. Enjoying the good gifts of earthly life is certainly allowed, and even commended in Scripture (Eccl 9:7-10; 1 Tim 4:4-5; 6:17). But when particular enjoyments begin to dominate our lives, they become liabilities rather than blessings because they hinder us from running well, and they could potentially get us to drift off course and not finish the race. There may be a number of things in this life that are not sinful in and of themselves but that can nevertheless provoke sinful thoughts, or make what Paul calls, “provision for the flesh” (Rom 13:14). There may be habits and patterns that we’ve allowed to develop in our lives that erode away at the soul or slowly dampen our zeal for spiritual things.
Here’s a vital practical principle that we can take from this passage when it instructs us to strip off every weight. When we are confronted with a decision to engage in some activity, we shouldn’t just ask if that activity is sinful. As Christians, that’s a basic question we should always be asking. We must also ask: Will such and such activity help me run with endurance? Will this element of God’s creation—this book, movie, song, or relationship— increase my faith, encourage my worship of God, facilitate and promote my holiness, edify my soul, strengthen my inner person, refine my affections for Christ, and help me to love others better? Merely asking whether something is sinful and then avoiding it will not make us mature Christians, and it won’t enable us to run with endurance.
This is why the analogy of running is so fitting. A professional runner who aims to capture a personal record or log his best time will take his training seriously. He will watch what he puts in his body and how he trains. While he is running the race he won’t do anything that could cause him to kill his pace or cause an injury. The author of Hebrews wants us to ponder this analogy and apply the same rigor and focus to our Christian race.
Social media, movies, music, books, magazines, television shows, sports, personal interests, and hobbies may be allowed by Scripture and not inherently or overtly sinful, but they nevertheless can blunt your spiritual sharpness and zeal and hinder your running if they are not kept in their proper place. The author is exhorting us to cast aside anything in our lives that is keeping us from running our Christian race well.
Run Your Own Race
But this is where our principle of “run your own race” is vital. As I’ve already noted, the emphasis in this passage is on finishing the race, not on competing with other participants. This means that we are not to look at other Christians to determine what we should cast off and keep on when it comes to non-sinful “weights.” There may be certain activities that slow your pace in the Christian life. The activity is not sinful in and of itself, but for you, it is an unhelpful weight that hinders you from running with endurance. Your Christian friend, however, is able to partake in that same activity without experiencing a slowdown. It would be unwise, however, for you to participate in that activity just because your friend is able to. You must “run your own race,” and strip off anything that weighs you down.
This principle can also be applied to our ministries. Jesus tells us that among genuine Christians there will always exist a disparity in spiritual production. Some Christians will be more fruitful than others (Matt 13:23), and some Christians will be entrusted with more than others (Matt 25:14-30). It is foolhardy, therefore, to compare ourselves to another believer who appears to be running at a much quicker pace than us. They may be exceedingly fruitful and carry many important spiritual responsibilities. “I must be just like that!” we conclude. No, we don’t. We must assess ourselves, our gifts, our resources, and our opportunities with a sober mind according to what God has assigned us, not another person (Rom 12:3). We must attend to what God has given us, not what he has entrusted to another.
In other words, we must run our own race. Of course, this does not mean we don’t learn from other runners. We should always be ready to be encouraged, exhorted, and even rebuked by the lives of holy men and women. Wise runners learn from other runners who have proven themselves to be exceptional athletes and successful competitors. Wise Christians place themselves at the feet of other faithful, mature Christians in order to learn from them (see Prov 9:8-9; 13:20; 1 Cor 11:1; Heb 13:7). But we must also be aware of how God has made and gifted us and be careful to not unwisely compare ourselves or our ministry with other believers (see 2 Cor 10:12; Gal 6:4). Running our own race will enable us to enjoy steady progress, make wise decisions, and make it all the way to the finish line.
