The gun had fired, and I was running for my life. At least it felt that way. In reality, it was a pop gun, and I was running with about thirty other girls, all jockeying for positions as we settled in for our three-mile race. I fell into my normal place near the back. I was never a fast runner and never placed higher than a few from the end. Most would question why I kept running if that were the case. Sometimes, so did I.
This race, in particular, was a rough one. As is typical of an early fall day in Michigan, it was hot, humid, and sticky. It was hard to breathe; my legs were aching from shin splints. I fell back a bit and was labouring to keep moving forward. I heard the approaching footsteps on the grass telling me someone was running up behind me. The blonde girl in the corner of my eye would pass me in moments. This was normal. What I was not expecting was what I heard as she passed:
You should just give up, you loser.
Anger rushed through me, compelling my feet to move faster than they ever had before. Immediately I put my head up, lengthened my stride, and somehow found the strength to push forward and bolt after her. I managed to pass her and raced on towards the finish line, every part of my body screaming. I wasn’t going to let her beat me. I crossed the finish line moments later and limped away in search of my bag containing water and painkillers, but I limped away feeling triumphant. There were plenty of times in my four-year high school running career when I could have given up. I had sustained multiple injuries throughout that time and had almost always finished in the back of the pack.
I may have been a bit accident prone then, as well as prone to finish last. I always knew, though, what I was not. I was not a loser.
In the teaching, A Sure Foundation, Andrew talks about how grace and peace come through the knowledge of God. We get to know who we are as we get to know God better. Andrew says in his teaching,
When God says that you’re a winner, man, agree with him.
No matter how many times I came in last or finished only ahead of a few girls in a race, God said I was a winner. It didn’t matter what my circumstances looked like or even the fact that I never did finish first in a race—as a child of God, I was, and am, a winner. So are you. Everything around you could be trying to tell you that you are a loser because you don’t measure up to the person next to you or don’t have all your ducks in a row, but that isn’t God’s truth about you.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17By spending time in God’s Word and practicing communing with the Holy Spirit, you will begin to receive the truth about who you are in Christ into your heart, which will then translate into the rest of your life. Through diligent, personal study, you will open the door to this revelation and more in your life.To learn more about how you can apply these principles to your life, visit our online store today and order Andrew’s book, A Sure Foundation.
