Running

Yesterday was the sports meet on campus, a day long event comprised of a lot of athletic competitions.  As one of my students said, it's exciting and boring.

Here was the part that really struck me: In a lot of the long races, classmates and friends would run on the field alongside the track for as far as they could, cheering on and encouraging the person who was in the race. 

Every time one of their classmates ran past, my students in the stands would get up and make as much noise as possible to cheer them on.  In one sense, the students on the track ran their races alone; no one was out there carrying them.  But in another sense, they were never alone at all.

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.

[Hebrews 12:1]