5 Ways to Persevere in 2024

When the new year looks like a 5k with a lot of hills

The gunshot at the starting line burst into the crisp, cold air, and I began to run.

Well, to jog.

Runners of all ages, some in sleek neon gear, some in camouflage sweatpants, streaked by me until it seemed I was all alone on the paved path. For the first time in over a decade, I was running a 5k.

I don’t like to run. Though I try to incorporate a variety of exercises in my life to keep me healthy, running is not my favorite. I am not a natural athlete and would much prefer a walk and talk with a friend or a hike with my husband.  

But I have a new granddaughter and our nest is emptying. Both are great reasons to commit to taking care of myself so that I will have more energy to enjoy this next season of life.

Plus, I’ve discovered that although I’ve never particularly enjoyed running, I LOVE the way I feel afterward! And that made it worth the long, hard training.

Spoiler alert: there will be hills

The race was a Turkey Trot held at a ski and golf resort in northern Michigan, where we gather every other year for a huge, chaotic Thanksgiving with extended family. I knew the course would be hilly; I had walked the 5k two years before. Running it was a whole different story. I couldn’t remember for sure how many hills there were, but as soon as I crested one (gasping desperately for air), I realized I was heading up another one.

In this new year, you may already be checking off your resolutions with confidence or happily embracing your Word of the Year. Or maybe you too are facing hills you didn’t expect.

Maybe you or one you care for is entering the year with a new diagnosis, or with one less person to love. Even exciting events can bring uncertainty—are you getting married or expecting a child? Starting a new job? Maybe you are preparing to graduate college this spring and the future looks way too unfamiliar—and, if you’re honest, terrifying. It may seem like there are too many unknowns ahead to make resolutions about anything.

Jesus warns us clearly in Scripture to expect trouble in this life (John 16:33). Not just for having faith in him, but hardship, pain, and suffering that result from living in a world broken by sin. This includes walking through the scary unknown. Thankfully, there are many reminders that he will not leave us to endure any of it alone (2 Cor. 12:9; Deut. 31:6).

Follow Christ at his pace, which is grace

Jesus is our ultimate example of endurance: he faced the worst suffering imaginable, and he knew from the beginning it was coming. He endured the cross anyway, disregarding its shame, to achieve the joy that awaited him and to secure eternal life for us. In him, we now have hope inextinguishable and we find grace for the journey.

What peace to know that we have a High Priest, Jesus Christ, who understands our weaknesses, who faced all the same testing we do, yet did not sin. What hope to know we can come boldly to the throne of our gracious God, where we will receive his mercy and find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:15-16). What joy to follow him in a steady, faithful plodding, receiving the treasures he has for us along the way, triumphant at the finish line because of the journey. What strength we can find in learning from the past yet leaving it behind as we press on to reach the heavenly prize (Philippians 3:14).

Insert endurance quotes here

If you’ve parented or supported any young, church-going, cross-country runner, you’ve probably seen Hebrews 12:1-2 quoted in some form, whether painted on a van window or stitched onto a warm-up jacket.

It is the perfect encouragement to persevere, literally in one’s physical race and figuratively in one’s life. It reminds us that looking to Christ helps keep things in perspective.

Whether this new year seems to promise adventure or adversity, we can be confident it most likely will bring both. From the rest of Hebrews 12, I want to share five ways to persevere, by God’s grace, through whatever we may face in the coming months:

1)        Throw off everything that hinders—especially sin that trips us up (Hebrews 12:1a). Purging the sin from our life not only frees us to travel lightly, but it speaks volumes to those who are watching us live out our faith. Reading God's Word every day will remove the blinders of self-deception from our eyes. Ask him to reveal what needs to be dealt with this year, then ask him for strength and help.

2)        Run with endurance. We do this by keeping our eyes not on our own feet (though that is tempting some days) but on Jesus. He is the one who initiates our faith and perfects it (Hebrews 12:1b-2). Rather than becoming overwhelmed by the unknown, trust him for every step, every day, one at a time.

3)        Remember Jesus. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood; Jesus did. Though he was completely sinless, he endured false accusations, hostilities, beatings, mocking, horrific death on the cross, and three days in the grave to give us victory over sin and death (Hebrews 12: 4).

4)        Accept the Lord’s discipline as a gift of love because it means we are truly his child (Hebrews 12: 5-11). He may use our circumstances this year not as a punishment, but as an act of a loving Father who disciplines his child. Remember, the root word here is disciple, which means to train by instruction.

5)        Do not refuse to listen to his voice. The second half of chapter 12 (vv.14-26) includes many other small acts of faith that have big benefits, such as: living at peace with everyone, living a holy life, looking after each other, and not allowing bitterness to take root and grow. We are also reminded to give thanks and worship with holy fear and awe. Most importantly, we are not to turn away from the voice that gives these commands, for they are given in love so that we will remain unshakeable (vv. 27-28).

As I plodded along in my 5k last November, I repeated a phrase that my sister, a seasoned runner, had shared to encourage me: Every step is the finish line. My only goal was to run the whole race without stopping, and by faithfully putting one foot in front of the other, I was able to do so! In the same way, we can be encouraged by remembering that if every step is the finish line, and Christ awaits us there, we can be sure we are not running alone.