I really love the movie, Chariots of Fire. Of course I admire the character of Eric Liddell. Not only did he refuse to violate his principles at the Olympics and run on the sabbath, but ultimately, he died serving as a missionary in China.

But the character of Harold Abrahams fascinates me too. He was the other runner in the movie, the man whose life was entirely wrapped up in his performance on the track. At one point, his coach was trying to get him a few extra seconds of an edge. So, he was teaching Abrahams how to stretch for the tape at the finish line.

And his practice worked. In the 100m final in Paris, he was neck and neck with both Charlie Paddock and Jackson Scholtz at the halfway mark. But with some intense efforts, Harold pulled ahead and at the end, he strained towards the tape. And won.

That act of straining or stretching for the tape is what Paul is talking about in Philippians 3:12. Spiritually, we too are supposed to “lean in” towards the “prize” of the high calling in Christ Jesus. Just as runners sometimes must thrust their torsos forward straining for the tape, we need to learn how to push aside weights and distractions and reach for the goal of serving Him.

But like most spiritual exercises, learning how to strain towards His will can and usually is very “bumpy.”  And that brings us to the idea of embracing being uncomfortable.

Pleasing the Lord, doing His bidding with some joy, serving others with a great attitude will likely cost us something. But the good news is that we do not have to make huge, wholesale life changes all at once. We can improve our discipleship efforts a little bit at a time.

We can start with just 15 minutes studying His Word. We can memorize one verse in a week. We can choose one chore to do for our spouse. We can complement one colleague at work. We can pray for just a few minutes at lunch. And so it goes.

So maybe this week is a great opportunity for all of us to recognize that we really are in a race. Let’s look down our lanes and eye the finish line. That proverbial tape strung across the track deserves our attention.

So, let’s press in and run our race with enthusiasm!