Running the Race for God!
I wanted to start
off with this verse from Luke chapter 6 verse 38 “The
amount you give will determine the amount you get back”. I try to apply this
verse in every aspect of my life whether it’s in school, work, Church, extra
circular activities, with my family and friends, or with different people I
come into contact with every day. We
should start every day with an attitude to give it our all and know that in the
end we have done our best. A lot
of you probably know me as the runner or you might as the dancer, or even that
pageant girl! God has blessed me in many
different ways and continues to strengthen me in ways I couldn’t imagine. He has given me trials and tribulations along
the way, he’s taught me that it’s ok to win and lose some, for it you won
everything you did then you’d never appreciate what it truly feels like to
win. He’s taught me that losing at some
things is ok for if it wasn’t for the times that I’ve been at the bottom I
don’t think I’d appreciate hard work and dedication like I do today.
In
everything that I have been a part of throughout high school as well as into
college, I always try to do my best no matter what. Also something I have gradually learned
throughout my youth or mostly as I was in college is “what is the purpose of
what I’m doing” or who am I trying to impress, etc.? I’ve learned that its God, he’s the one I am
trying to impress and everything that I do should be to glorify him. So he should always be who we think about
first and he should be the sole purpose for everything that we do. Somebody once told me that when we wake up in
the morning the first thing we should ask is “what would God want me to do
today, or what would God want me to wear today”? So we should put him first every day and do
everything with the intention to please and glorify him. He blesses us in too many ways not to return
the favor.
So
a few things about me! Dancing has
played a huge role in my life, since many of you know my mom is a dance
teacher, so not dancing was never an option.
I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities as a dancer that most people
don’t experience if they have never danced or performed. One of my favorite parts of a being a dancer
is the feeling you get when you entertain on a stage in front of a thousand
people. That’s a feeling that is so
unreal and almost magical in a way.
As
for my pageants, probably a lot of you get the wrong impression of pageants
from “Tata’s and Tierra’s and the numerous things you hear on the news. But me personally I have gained so much from
the few that I’ve competed in. I always
like to use this pageant quote “Don’t just wear the crown, but be the crown”
and I think we can all relate that to our Christian lives “don’t just act like
a Christian but really be one”. As a
queen you hold so much responsibility, leadership roles, caring, and giving
qualities, elegance and charisma that you should display whether you’re wearing
the crown or not. The crown shouldn’t be a reason to display these qualities
you should always display them, and I’ve learned as I’ve grown in my walk with
Christ that although it’s important to go to Sunday school and do those
Christian things it’s most important that as individuals we speak with God and
pray daily.
So
a few days ago as I was sitting on the beach by myself while all of my friends
were in class, thinking about what to speak on today I looked out into this
beautiful ocean that God has created and realized that life is here today and
gone tomorrow like the waves of the Ocean. It’s so important that we take all
the opportunities that come our way and we listen to the ocean because if you
listen closely, you can hear God speaking to you.
As
I was talking to Matthew and asking him what he’d like me to speak on today, he
mentioned some of my recent college experiences or whatever I felt the need to
speak on. But I wanted to share a quick
experience that I encountered last year.
Some of you may know that I competed for the title of Miss Greater
Wilmington, which would ultimately carry me to compete in the Miss NC Pageant,
which is every young girl’s pageant dream!
I worked hard for months; practicing my talent over and over again,
staying up to do date on politics and potential interview questions, working on
my speech, because we all know if you’re from here you have a southern accent,
and working hard in the gym preparing for the swimsuit portion of the
pageant. I prayed for weeks preparing
for the pageant, asking the Lord to give me the strength and courage I needed
to do my best, and that he would use me in the way he intended. So of course the night comes and I place
first runner up which is a big achievement but isn’t taking home the
crown. I was devastated for weeks, had
no motivation to do another pageant, and really had a hard time understanding
why I had worked so hard and didn’t win.
And then a few weeks later, I received the answer. I
heard about a casting call for a new ABC Family Movie “Teen Spirit” that was
going to be filmed in Wilmington and I decided to go for it! I attended the casting call, made a few
connections, and within a few days I had been called back and asked to play a
part of the “Posse” which was a featured extra role. I got the opportunity to work on the set for
a little over a month and really made some great connections and learned a lot
about the movie industry. It was such a
unique experience and honestly one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part
of. So I thought I would share with you
this wonderful eye-opening experience that taught me patience. That although sometimes we don’t understand
the Lord’s doing and why he does it if we are patient and put all of our trust
in him, we’ll eventually see a reason and purpose for everything. Had I won Miss Greater Wilmington I would
have never had the Teen Spirit opportunity.
I think this verse applies to this very example! In Romans chapter 8
verse 28 “ We know
that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God
and are called according to his purpose for them.” I think one of the most valuable
things I’ve learned as I’ve grown in my walk with Christ is to have patience,
to know that he has a plan and purpose, and although I may not see it now, he
will reveal my answer in time.
One of my
favorite quotes by Donald Miller is “It is always the simple things that change our lives.
And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen. Life
will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. This is how God does
things.” So if there is anything you
take from my message today, its Patience, to be patient and listen to the Lord
he holds the keys to all the doors that you’ll open.
But
today I not only want to speak on patience but also on perseverance and share my
story as a runner. As many of you know I
did a lot of competing in track and cross country races throughout my middle
and high school years and still run some today.
But I learned from running that life’s a race. That in order to get into Heaven we have to
run this race with God as our coach along the way.
In Hebrews Chapter 12 verses 1 through 2 “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.” As a runner you have to practice at what you do like any other sport, you can only get better the more you practice and you must have a goal, it’s like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. So as Christians it’s important that we practice trusting in our Lord, our Coach. I can remember now as I stand at the starting line ready to race. My nerves were always so tore up because I always was under pressure but in a good way, and as you know I’m very competitive, so I always ran to win! I normally ran the one mile or two miles so either four or eight laps, it always got so boring. I was not a sprinter but had the endurance for long distance. I would shoot out in front to take the lead and would keep a steady pace not to overdue myself. As I approached the last lap I’d step up my pace to finish the race strong. It’s so easy for me to relate life to a race. As a runner you face challenges and obstacles throughout the race. In cross country we had to run up steep hills and inclines, run through the dirt paths with rocks and rubble and as Christians we run this race every day facing the same challenges and obstacles that we have to overcome. We may sweat a little and struggle to finish the race but at the end of the day if we persevere and stay true to ourselves and our Lord leading us, there is no hill or mountain that we can’t climb and we will ultimately reach that finish line. Walking with God is going to be an uphill climb, so we must pace ourselves along the way so that we can strengthen our spiritual muscles. It’s important that we set our goals and know what’s waiting for us at the finish line because then we can work harder and stronger. Our ultimate goal is to finish the race and to run through the finish line at Heaven’s gates and know that we ran our best race! In Romans chapter 5 verse 3 “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.” We can apply this verse to our race because it’s our obstacles, trials and tribulations that make us who we are. I think about our family members, loved ones, and friends that I’ve lost over the years and think of their races, some were short almost like a sprint and others like my grandmother a marathon. I hope that each of us can get our running shoes ready and run for the Lord so we can all cross that finish line one day and know that we ran a good race! So put on your running shoes and run for God because he’s cheering you on along the way!!! So I’ll leave you with this Hebrews Chapter 12 verse 1“Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us”.
Elizabeth
