Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem…and set before (the leaders) the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles…for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.

Galatians 2:1-2

Is cross-country skiing on your bucket list by chance? Then the perfect place for you is in Stowe Vermont at the Trapp Family Lodge—yes, the Sound of Music von Trapps settled in Stowe in 1942, having fled Austria in 1938. Need I say—there is an art to cross-country skiing, and the surface of the skis is integral. If you don’t have the proper wax for the snow conditions, or that magic built-in fish scale grip pattern, you are in for a grueling workout. Our fearless leader set a good pace; the rest of us slipped as much back as forward, glad for the summit and the prize—a cookie. 

The race we are in is a marathon, not a sprint. Even if the wax on our skis is not quite suitable to the snow on the trail, we persevere. We also run for a prize at the end of life—to see (Jesus) face to face…to know (Him) fully (1 Corinthians 13:12), for starters. 

Paul sought out the leaders of the church in Jerusalem so as not to run the race in vain. Like Paul, I too seek wise counsel. I know and trust the leaders in my home church who preach and teach the Word of God. Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17) becomes the motto as my girlfriends and I spend time together studying Scripture. 

I am careful with the books I read and the online messages I am privy to, the more so with all this technology at my fingertips. Considering how easily the “new age” philosophy has slipped into popular devotionals and the “prosperity gospel” has skewed truth (check out the documentary American Gospel: Christ Alone), I need to be even more diligent than the Bereans who received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11). 

Your story and mine with Jesus, ladies, becomes our message to those watching. We run as the salt of the earth, enticing our friends to truth. We let (our) light shine before men that they may see (our) good deeds and praise (our) Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16). We are in the race for the long run, trusting the Spirit to keep our steps true.

Nancy P