When I was 9 years old, I got a new pair of shoes and immediately wanted to race everyone in my neighborhood because I thought they would help me run faster. On one particular day, I dusted everyone who dared to step to the starting line, except one person . . . my own mother! “On your marks…Get set…Go!” I ran as fast as I could, and I even had a small lead. But when I decided to turn back and smile at my friends, my mom blew right past me! Can you imagine how embarrassed I was to get beat in a foot race by my own mom? That was also the day I found out Mom had run track in college at the University of the Pacific. (I joke that she should’ve been disqualified for having an unfair advantage!)

Have you ever tried to run a race with your eyes on anything other than the finish line? If so, I’m sure you realized that it is incredibly difficult. To do anything, other than focusing on that which lies before you, is to indulge distraction. And that lack of focus opens the door for defeat to come in and take up residency.  

Many people in this world will fail to finish this Christian race simply because they shun discipline and allow themselves to become distracted. In the same way that a runner’s eyes should never leave his destination, a Christian’s eyes should never leave Jesus. The Christian race is not a sprint; it is a lifelong marathon in which endurance and focus prevail.

Stay focused on your goals. Keep your eyes on the prize that God has set before you. If the enemy can’t defeat you, he’ll distract you with side issues or disqualify you by getting you to make bad decisions. Either way, he will win and you will lose! Today is your chance to start fresh and focus solely on Christ. But do more than just getting focused and forgetting what is behind, get focused and STAY FOCUSED!