This Marathon - With Special Guest Kristen Harlin

Hebrews 12:1-3 encourages us to run our faith race with perseverance, especially during life's hardest moments. Building a firm foundation in Christ through prayer, meditation, church attendance, and Bible reading prepares us for inevitable challenges. When facing difficulties, we can learn from biblical examples like Peter walking on water and the woman healed by touching Jesus' cloak. Life is a marathon requiring daily spiritual practices, not a sprint. By fixing our eyes on Jesus rather than our circumstances and identifying what we can control, we can persevere through even the most difficult seasons.

Transcript

Well, good morning. How is everybody today? You only have one more week left with me, and then you guys will get Matt back. So if you would join me in prayer. God, thank you so much for all the gifts and the blessings that you have given us.

Now just open our hearts and minds for what you would have us to hear today. In your name, we pray.

Our scripture reading today comes from Hebrews 12:1 3. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders the sin that so easily entangles us. And let us run with perseverance, the race marked before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him. He endured the cross scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sins so that you will not grow weary and not lose heart. This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. So Hebrews was written to encourage Christians to endure and to warn them not to abandon their faith in Christ and remember what Christ did for them even in the face of opposition. There are days that are easier than others.

I think we could all agree on that. There are the so so days. There's super great days and there's the hard days. So how are we supposed to live on those days when it's just so hard? What are we supposed to do?

So actually, I shared last week about how I got a little salty in one of the hardest days that I was facing and had to hold it all together.

It's been a daily walk, like our scripture reading. It says, let us run with perseverance, the race set before us. You do not generally start a race that day by just getting on the course and running one sneaker in front of the other, practicing and getting ready for it. I'm actually wearing my running shoes.

So we went to leadership camp. I actually got to teach a workshop and my son was there. It's called Lead. It's at Crosspoint Camp. It's a United Methodist camp for youth who are wanting to go into leadership positions.

And during one of the nights of worship, we actually sang the song Firm Foundation. And I want you guys to know that I am not generally a crier. Things do not generally strangely warm my heart enough to make me cry. But whenever we started singing the song Firm foundation, rain came, wind blew but my life was built on you. I'm safe with you I'm going to make it through really rang through to Me.

It's so true. It's so raw. There's no hidden magic trick. It's about building your life from prayer, meditation, attending church, reading your Bible, and putting a firm foundation. Jesus.

I could go back and I could tell you all the way from childhood how I've seen this work in my life. We don't have time for that. So I'll tell you about the past five years that I alluded to last week. In September of 2020, my husband, Carrie, went to the ER and at the time, it was the second wave of COVID I was not allowed to go in the hospital with him because if you went to the er, you went in by yourself. And unless you were admitted for a critical reason, nobody could go.

So I got a text message. I'm being serious. And Carrie Harlan, if you watch this. I got a text message to tell me how the ER visit went. It just said, I'm going to surgery.

So I called the ER to find out what was going on, and he was already back in surgery. So he had blood clots from his AVN artery all the way down to his fingertips that had coagulated all together.

So after four hours, I called back. The ICU nurse said that I could sit and wait. And in the empty ICU room, this was actually a favor, because if he were to make it through, they had an ICU room waiting on him. So after seven hours of surgery, they let me know that if he was to make it through the night, he would have surgery again tomorrow. And after five days of surgery lasting over five hours each, hope was finally given by the doctors.

So in Hebrews 12:1, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders the sin that so easily entangles us. This passage encourages us to remember all of those who had gone before us and. And the faith that they lived and the journey in which they also traveled. So in Matthew, we remember Peter. Oh, Peter.

I can. I can really connect with him sometimes. He doubted some, he worried some. But he was a disciple. He was a fisherman in Galilee before Jesus said, come on, let's go.

But in Matthew 14:22, it says, immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side. And while he dismissed the crowd, after he had dismissed them, he went up to the mountainside by himself to pray. And later that night, he was there alone. And the boat was already a considerable distance from the land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before Dawn, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. It's a ghost, they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them, take courage. It is I. Don't be afraid, Lord.

If it's you, Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water. Be careful what you ask for. Right? Come, he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink. He cried out, lord, save me. Immediately Jesus reached out. His hand caught him. You have little faith, he said.

Why did you doubt? Considering those who had gone before Peter, Peter doubted. And he looked down and he took his eyes off of Jesus. And I know many people criticize Peter in this very moment. How many of us could be standing on water with a storm blazing around us and keep our eyes on Jesus the entire time to not sink?

But even when he did look down and begin to sink, Jesus reached out and saved him. Despite of his own doubts and fears, God knew Peter needed a savior. God knew we needed a savior. He knew life would be hard, and he knew that there would be moments of doubts and fears. In Luke 8:43 48, it says, and a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years, but no one could heal her.

She came up behind him, touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. Who touched me? Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, master, the people are crowding and pressing against you. But Jesus said, someone touched me.

I know that power has gone from me. Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people. She told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, daughter, your faith has healed you.

Go in peace. The woman had been bleeding for 12 years. No one had been able to heal her. She went up behind Jesus and touched his cloak. She believed that if she could just touch him that she would be healed.

She didn't make a big show or try to get an appointment or make a big announcement. She just believed, if she could touch him, I can be healed. When Jesus figured out someone had touched him because he could feel it and started asking questions. She finally came forward to meet her Messiah face to face. Can you imagine?

She explained why she had to touch him, and when she did, she was healed. But then he tells her, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.

So Carrie was moved From ICU to a regular room at OSU Medical center, because that was the only place that had ER that day. That's where he went in Tulsa. And after a week of being in that icu, while he slept and recovered and finally being moved to that normal room, I sat and I looked out the window, and we had a nice view of the Route 66 bridge. And while I looked down, I saw all these runners running across this bridge.

Okay. If you would have known me in 2020, I just want you to know I was not a runner. If I was being chased, I was running. And you should run, too. Okay.

Just before we go on with the story. So I literally thought to myself, I could never do that. Carrie was later diagnosed with a genetic blood disorder that is not curable. They can treat the symptoms, but his living to his age, as he is right now, is actually a medical marvel. I'm sure you can imagine.

When we were told this, we were grateful that he had made it this long. But the incurable part was really, really, really hard to swallow. Still is. Some days, we're human, right?

So I met with a friend when the bad news was given, and I fell apart. Our life and our world, it seemed to stop. The dreams and pictures of our future seemed to evaporate into thin air. But my friend told me, can you pick something that you can control and just go do it? So I did.

I started walking.

That would eventually turn into running. On sunny days, on rainy days, on snowy days, I walked. This not only became something I controlled, this became my prayer time and my medication and my meditation time with God. My medication from God. Either one.

There might have even been a joke. John Wesley, the founder of United Methodism. His mother's name was Susanna. And anytime she needed alone time and time with God to pray, she'd put her apron on top of her head. Because she had, like, 17 kids or something crazy like that.

So that was how she got her prayer time with God. In our house, the joke became, if mom put on her running shoes, don't mess with her. It's her prayer time with God. In 2021, I signed up for a half marathon. Let me tell you, I had trained.

I thought I had trained for this. You really. Every race is different. But I did not train enough for this. But as I rounded mile 10 and 11, I was so tired.

But your brain is trying to rationalize why you even started. But then you realize you can't go back because 10 to 11 miles back there is way farther. And the few you gotta Go that way. But as I was tired at mile 10 and 11 and I really wanted to give up, but that was not an option. I looked up and when I rounded the corner there was that hospital.

There was that hospital room in that window where I sat a year prior trying to figure it all out.

Didn't know it was the same race either. Was a God moment.

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily that entangles us and let us run with perseverance, the race marked out before us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus. Five years later, four hospital stays, 11 surgeries and procedures, two strokes, countless tests and several if conversations with doctors and with each other. There's still not a cure. But we have a God and there is a Savior and there is symptom management.

There is a God who gave us the gift of having Carrie this long. And there is a God that when our bodies fail here he has an amazing plan waiting for us.

Life is not a sprint, it is a marathon. We have to take it day by day, one step at a time, putting one foot in front of the other even when we think we can't. Let us run with perseverance. The race marked out before us. So when life is hard, we have to fix our eyes on Jesus.

We have to know those who went before us, who were our great cloud of witnesses. We have to know how they handled it so we can learn from their victories, their mistakes and how they made it on easy days, on great days, on the so so days we have to read, we have to meditate, we have to pray. We have to come to church of faith to strengthen and build up whenever days were a lot easier. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, keeping them on him to keep from sinking when we ourselves look down. Sometimes, even whenever it's what we asked for.

Sometimes whenever it's not touching the hem of his garment because by faith we know he is our Redeemer. And then we can run the race with perseverance and and through faith, with Jesus as our focus, we will finish in our final victory. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us. 21 pairs of running shoes later Life is not a sprint. It is a day by day prayer, meditation and reading with God.

So remember that even when everything seems so down and so crazy, he still told us in that third verse that he sent Jesus, let us pray.