When I ran a half marathon in 2009, I remember that there were pace runners who were stationed at different points in the mass of participants. Their job was to maintain a certain pace for a particular group of runners who knew in general how fast (or slow) they normally run. My pace runner I watched for was the 13-minute mile runner, for instance. I was not the quickest runner, needless to say. But there were many runners who were pacing along with me and following the 13-minute pace runner as well.
The idea of pace runners and the runners that follow them came to mind for me recently when I was thinking about how each of us moves forward in faith at different rates and no rate is better or worse than another. There is no need to judge where anyone is on their faith journey. Some people like to read large sections of Scripture daily, for example, while others find it more beneficial to their souls to sit with a single verse of Scripture for awhile. Both are good ways to stay in the Word.
So find your pace of faith, look for those who are at your same pace, embrace that pace and keep at it as you “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
