"... let us run with patience the race that is before us" (Hebrews 12:1)

This scripture has been going through my mind:

"Wherefore seeing that we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is before us" (Hebrews 12:1). 

I keep thinking that to "run with patience" implies that patience is a running partner, a friend whom I love to spend time with.

Or to run with patience the race that is before me is kind of an oxymoron. Patience to me implies a slowing down, continuing forward, but slowly and steadily. And to run the race, not walk the race, implies moving forward at a quicker pace, even speeding up at times to pass the other runners.

I like the idea of having patience as my running partner. We all need a good friend to encourage us to continue when we hit "the wall". And I can now see that this is an endurance "race" which is to be run by being steadfast, diligent, and with a determination to finish. It is definitely not a sprint, but I know I have really wanted it to be a sprint.

Running a race (I prefer to ride my races)  implies a certain amount of conditioning. For me, preparing for a race is about being in shape so that I can perform well and enjoy the ride. I believe this passage, "let us run with patience the race that is before us", is also about being in shape. I am learning that patience is about the shaping of the soul.

We each have our "race" to be run. Running with correct form is helpful to feel good after the race is completed. Elder Maxwell talks about the correct form in our race of life. He says:

"Sustaining correct conduct for a difficult moment under extraordinary stress is very commendable, but so is coping with sustained stress subtly present in seeming routineness. Either way, however, we are to "run with patience the race that is before us (Heb.12:1), and it is a marathon, not a dash" (Endure It Well).

My life is filled with "seeming routineness". In that routine I have a friend that I am learning to appreciate and enjoy her companionship. Her name is Patience.

In this "routineness" with my friend Patience, I sure try to have fun. 

Here are a few of those moments.

 Enjoy the ride!!!