Life’s Hurdles: How to Persevere Through Hard Things
“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1b-2a
For someone who played competitive soccer until my sophomore year of high school with grand visions of playing college soccer (but bum knees, you know), I really didn’t enjoy running. Running in games was fun, but endurance training in practice was not so fun.
However, I knew that I had to run to play my favorite sport. Coincidentally, I’m working on building up my endurance again so I can go back to playing my favorite sport again.
A part of running that most people are used to are hurdles. Have you ever seen someone super good at hurdles? It’s mesmerizing.
HURDLES AND HARD THINGS
I think we can all agree that running without hurdles is so much easier than running with them. You just run! You can run, even sprint, without hurdles (although some people can do both, which is bonkers to me).
But even though it’s easier and faster without them, running with hurdles makes you stronger. You see, when you’re running without hurdles, there is nothing holding you back or getting in your way. You just run as fast as your little legs can take you.
But with hurdles, you have to be paying closer attention. You have to be focused on the track in front of you. You have to look where the hurdles are, jump over the hurdle, land on the other side, and keep running.
When I think of hurdles, I think of one of my other favorite Bible verses:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
Hurdles on a track are very similar to the hard things or trials that happen to us in life. Hurdles test our ability to run and jump over physical obstacles. Hard things, or trials, test our ability to keep running through life’s obstacles.
And to keep running the race set before us, the author of Hebrews reminds us to keep our eyes on Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
JESUS, THE COACH
Jesus is the ultimate coach for this race because he already ran it! He came into this world, faced many hurdles, and ultimately won the race. And let’s be honest here:
The best coaches are the ones who have played the sport in the past, too. They know the best plays, they give the best advice, and ultimately, they know how hard you have to work to keep going.
So, what can you do when you face a hurdle in life? We can do what Jesus did.
1: Jesus prayed before he faced the hurdles.
When Jesus faced something hard, he always pulled away by himself and talked to God. We see it a few times in the four books about his life: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
But we can all agree that the biggest hurdle Jesus faced was the cross. The wild thing is that he knew it was coming, and he knew he had to prepare for it. He talked to his best friends about this hurdle, and we see that he talked to God about it, too.
In Matthew 26, Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray with his closest friends for what was about to happen.
2: Jesus didn’t quit when he faced hurdles.
You can trust that Jesus, the pioneer, the one who went first, knows how hard it is not to give up (and he could have).
He prayed in Gethsemane twice before going to the cross. Both times, he asked if there was any other way to save us from our sins—any other way but the cross. And both times, he said, “May your will be done.”
He had to keep going, too! He knew he was going to face the biggest trial, the greatest hurdle, and accepted it, knowing that God was going to use it for something incredible (saving us from our sins).
The best news I have for you is that, like Jesus, God is going to use every hard thing or hurdle that you go through for your good and His glory. Every trial or hard thing you persevere through is going to make you stronger and stronger—helping you to continue to run your race.
3: Jesus took time to rest.
Jesus only lived on Earth for 33 years and was in ministry for 3 of those years. Even more wild, he knew his timeline. He knew how short of a time he had to accomplish what he needed to do. And yet, he didn’t just run the entire.
He took time to rest, too.
In Matthew 8, we read about Jesus sleeping in a boat while all of his friends were still awake. In Mark 6, we hear that he even directed his disciples to rest. He had people surrounding him all of the time, waiting for his words and healing. He knew how long he had, and yet, he still took time to rest. In John 4, we get one of the most beautiful stories of how Jesus rested and was able to connect with a woman in a way that changed her life forever.
Yes, we are running a race. But we don’t need to run like we’re running out of time. Jesus didn’t even do that. If he can rest, we can too.
PAUSE AND LOOK BACK
While I absolutely love to look back and read how other people jumped over hurdles in the Bible, the most impactful reminders for me are always from my own race. When I take the time to pause from running and look back on where I’ve been, the hurdles I’ve jumped over, and how God has used those very same hurdles to help me help others, I’m absolutely blown away.
“He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” (2 Corinthians 1:4 (MSG))
No part of your race is ever wasted.
The biggest impact you can ever make in another person’s life is to take them by the hand and help lift them over the hurdles they are facing. It changes everything when you have already jumped over that hurdle, too.
And as someone who has had the opportunity to do this, I can tell you that the healing that happens in your own soul is like nothing else.
KEEP RUNNING
I know you’re facing hard things, but I also know that you have everything you need to persevere and jump over the hurdles coming your way. Whether God takes you by the hand or sends someone else to come alongside you, I have no doubt that you’ll be supported.
If you need to slow down and walk, that’s okay.
If you need to pause and look back, that’s okay.
If you need to stop and rest, that’s okay.
If you fall down and need help back up again, that’s okay.
Just keep at the race—keep running the race set before you—no matter what it looks like today.
And if I can help you along the way, I’d love the opportunity to cheer you on, coach you through, hold your hand, and support you the best way I can. Just ask, and I’ll be there, pom-poms, whistle, and all.
