Fog of Life
Florence Chadwick was an American
swimmer who was the first woman ever to cross the 21-mile-wide English Channel
both ways. But on July 4, 1952, Chadwick attempted something never done before.
She had set her goal to swim the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the
California coastline. As she began this historical journey and had spent about
fifteen hours swimming, a thick, heavy fog set in. All she could see was a wall
of fog. Chadwick was afraid she was swimming in circles, and began to lose
hope. Finally, in desperation, she did something she’d never done before. She
asked her safety crew to pull her into the boat. She was done. But then,
Chadwick soon discovered that she had stopped swimming less than half a mile
away from the shore. At a news conference the next day she said, “All I could
see was the fog.…I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.”
Can you relate to Chadwick’s words? Have you ever got so tired and weary because you don’t see the shore? Have you ever felt like you just wanted to give up because you don’t have the strength to stay afloat any longer? The truth is that sooner or later everyone of us in this room gets tested by the fog of life. At some point in our life some of us have to go through a fog of worry and depression. Some a fog of unemployment. Some a fog of financial uncertainty. Some a fog of difficult relationships. And all of us eventually have to go through a fog of disruptive moments of aging, health problems, and loss of loved ones. As we are lost in the fog of life, where can we find a source of strength to stay afloat and keep moving forward?
Today’s passage says that our faith journey is like running a race. But it’s not a 100-meter dash. It’s a marathon. In the short distance race, speed is important. In the long distance race, perseverance is what leads to success. That is why Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Victory in the Christian life comes through perseverance. Since our faith journey is like a marathon, we don’t see the whole path. We don’t see the finish line. So oftentimes, on the journey we may feel like we make no progress and will never make it. We may feel like the loneliness and hopelessness will settle in like a thick fog on us forever. But praise God! We are not left running our race in the fog. The author of Hebrews tells us two proven ways to stay the course and finish strong.
Look to the Cloud of Witnesses
First, we are to look to the cloud
of witnesses. We are to remember that we’re not alone in this race. Today’s
passage begins this way: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…”
(12:1a) We’re not the only ones to take this journey. In the previous chapter,
Hebrews 11, often called the “hall of faith,” we meet a great group of
witnesses who have run this same race before us. They ran into the same
problems that we have today – slowed down by the weight of life, struggling with
their own brokenness and sin problems. But they have finished their race by faith, not by sight. Think about Isaac,
Jacob, and Joseph! Even within these
three generations, there were a lot of problems and brokenness, such as
favoritism, sibling rivalry, hatred, deceit, and incest. They lived a hard
life. For instance, Jacob summarized his life this way: “The years of my
pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult” (Gen
47:9). But all of them have fought the good fight, have finished the race, and
kept the faith! How? It was possible because they were surrounded by the cloud
of witnesses – their ancestors of faith.
When Isaac was in trouble, he remembered how his father, Abraham, overcame and
followed his paths. When Jacob was going through the darkest valley, he
remembered the God of his father, Isaac, and wrestled and prayed through the
night. Their examples give us encouragement. And now, like spectators watching
an athletic contest in an arena, these heroes of the faith are watching our
race and cheering us on!
But we don’t have to always go back to the OT to find “heroes of the faith.” We can find them today right around us and among us — right in our family, right in our small groups, right in the pews on any given Sunday morning. We Christians are meant to make this journey together and encourage one another. Though we may deal with different problems, basically we run the same race set before us. As we see powerful examples of faithfulness around us, we are encouraged and strengthened. Like many of you, I greatly miss our dear brother in Christ, Chip Wilde and our Christian fellowship. During one of my visits to his place right after he had decided not to pursue any cancer treatments, I asked him, “How are your holding up?” He showed me one of the picture frames that is his mother’s prayer. By saying this prayer daily and remembering how his mother had finished the race strong, he was encouraged and able to hang in there to the end:
“Thank you, Lord
For this food Thou has given us.
Bless it to our good.
Help it to build us in spirit
as well as strength.
Thank you for your guidance
and many blessings through the day.
Guide us, keep us, and help us
to stay close to Thee.
In Thy name we ask it. Amen.”
All of us in this room are
surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. And we are called to be a “witness” to
one another. The author of Hebrews says, “Let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some
are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as
you see the Day approaching.” (10:24-25, NIV) Let us encourage one another. Let
us run our race with perseverance!
Look to Jesus
Second, we are to look to Jesus. As we face life challenges – storms and
fog of life, we get weary and reach the point that we just want to give up,
because we don’t see the shore, the finish line. Jesus’ disciples were the
same. They asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time for you to free Israel and
restore your kingdom?” Here they were saying, “Lord, I am tired and weary. I
just want to skip this part of life and get to the end and see God’s glory
now.” But basically, what Jesus said to them is this: “You don’t get to know
the time. Timing is the Father’s business. But what you’ll get, what you’ll
need is the Holy Spirit. When the
Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to keep going and finish your race
strong.”
When storms come and a thick fog sets in, what we need most is Jesus – His Word, His Spirit, His Presence. At one Christian Conference a Chinese pastor who had spent 18 years in prison for his faith gave his testimony. The authorities in the camp put him to the hardest and dirtiest work – emptying the human waste cesspool, because they knew he was a pastor and a Christian. But they didn’t know in those years how he actually enjoyed working there. In the labor camp all the prisoners were under strict surveillance 24/7 and no one could be alone. But when the pastor worked in the cesspool, he could enjoy the solitude. He could be alone and could pray and sing to the Lord as loudly as he needed. The guards kept a long way off because of the strong stench. One of his most favorite was “In the Garden.” He always liked this hymn, but he didn’t realize the real meaning of this hymn until he worked in the cesspool. There, he knew and discovered a wonderful fellowship with Jesus. Again and again he sang this hymn and felt Christ’s real presence with him:
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear falling on my ear;
The Son of God discloses.
And he walks with me, and he talks with me,
And he tells me I am his own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.
The pastor said, “Again and again as I sang this hymn in the cesspool, I experienced the Lord’s presence. He never left me or forsook me. And so I survived and the cesspool became my private garden.”[1] So let us fix our eyes on Jesus!
Look Up, Lift U[p
As I close, I want to go back to the story of Florence Chadwick. Two months later, Chadwick stepped off the Catalina shore once again. The same thick fog set in, but this time was different. She swam from Catalina Island to the shore of California in a straight path for 26 miles. She made it because she said that while she swam, she kept a mental image of the shoreline in her mind. Although she couldn’t visually see the shore, she never lost sight of the shore in her mind. Are you weary and tired? Are you lost in the fog of life? Then, remember you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses cheering on you. Be encouraged. Look up and lift up. We are now much closer to the finish line than we think. Let us never lose sight of where we are headed. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Let us run with perseverance – one step at a time. The One who called us is faithful, and he will bring it to completion. So I will see you all at the finish l
[1]
Gordon MacDonald, The Life God Blesses:
Weathering the Storms of Life That Threaten the Soul (Thomas Nelson, 1997),
226.
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