Hebrews 12:1-2

Mark Hackney inspires new and mature Christians to run and complete their race well

Mark Hackney

This summer through various events and activities there have been thousands of young people all over the country becoming Christians. This is fantastic and great news for the church.

As new Christians there is a need to fix your eyes firmly on Jesus; mature Christians have a very important role to play in nurturing new Christians at a vulnerable time in their journey.

At North Staffs Youth For Christ we have been involved in a number of activities ranging from The Big Event, Soul Survivor to the Interface Road Trip and we have seen Hebrews 12 used with good effect on numerous occasions.

'Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.'

Running the race with perseverance and God's grace have been very much a part of the summer's theme in the activities we have been involved in and it has been great. Linking into the Olympics, Paralympics and the Diamond Jubilee has also helped us to get the message of keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus in all we do into the young people who have become Christians as well as those who are already running in the race.

It is fair to say that so far this year has been a fantastic year in which we as a country have been able to celebrate some amazing achievements. During the Jubilee, the Olympics and the Paralympics, I along with nearly everyone else in the country was taken along on wave after wave of national pride. We celebrated by looking back at the 60 years of our nation's diverse history with the Queen and her family and then we stretched every muscle and sinew along with our athletes as they strived and persevered for success. They were amazing and won not only a record haul of medals but a record amount of Gold ones. I sensed that I was part of a much bigger thing that was giving everyone following it a real feel good factor.

My thoughts went to:

• This is how I feel when I am striving to run the race and it is going well


• This is how I feel when we are seeing young people becoming Christians


• This is how I feel when it is all okay

However, I can also remember the times when I was finding it difficult and I questioned what was happening and where was God in all this? Looking back, (and not too far back I have to say), I can see these times and remember the thoughts I had that told me I was not good enough; I can't do that and that it was only a matter of time before I mess it up. It is at these times that we need to persevere and fix our eyes firmly on Jesus, because it is through His love and grace that we are able to come through these hard times. I have found that it is important for me to know that there is somewhere I can go when I mess up; there are people that know what it is like to start the race well only to stumble at some point. I am thankful that I have these friends who I can go to and I am humbled at the love, grace and support that they give me.

At Soul Survivor many of the worship songs had God's grace running through them. I love music and it is a massive part of my life and plays a big part in my race. I find that listening to music really helps me on my walk with God. Songs from Soul Survivor such as, 'You Never Give Up', 'Arms of Grace' and 'Like an Avalanche', really encourage me to focus on Jesus.

I would like to encourage you, whether you are reading this as a new Christian, or as a mature Christian, that you surround yourself with friends who you can talk to when it gets difficult and can keep you accountable as you run your race. Find that vehicle that helps you to get close to and focus on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.

I do think that God's grace is immensely important as part of our daily living and we need to show that to one another as we persevere on our journey, just as the Queen has for 60 years and our athletes did for the four years leading up to the Olympics and Paralympics.

Remember, we cannot finish the race without grace if we are to win God's heavenly prize.