“So then let’s also run the
race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of
witnesses surrounding us.” (Hebrews 12:1a, CEB)
I ran cross-country in high school
and one of the big highlights of the year was running in the first meet of the
season. It wasn’t just because it was the first meet, but it was where
the meet took place that made it special. Normally, the crowds at a typical
cross-country meet aren’t huge, but we would run an annual dual against Oelwein
(a local high school) and it would take place at the same time as the first
football game of the year. We’d start our race near the end of the sophomore
game and we finished on the field in between the sophomore and varsity games. I
have fond memories of having hundreds of fans cheering as we finished compared
to, well, dozens of fans cheering as we finished.
Today is All Saints Day, a religious holiday not typically celebrated as widely
in my denomination as it is in others, but it’s taken on more importance to me
in recent years. It’s a day to celebrate those who have gone before us in the
faith. I agree. But lately I’ve been celebrating those saints in my
life nearly every day.
I’m going to let you in on one of my quirky prayer habits. Some of you may know
that I’m a big fan of using imagination in my prayers. When I end my day with a
prayer of examen when I reflect on the day, give
thanks, and ask for forgiveness, I also employ my imagination and call upon
those cross-country memories. I imagine that there is a crowd of the saints who
have influenced me (like my mother-in-law who is pictured below in a display
created by my daughter for a “Day of the Dead” exhibit they did at
their school a few years ago) and that they’re all cheering for me as I finish
the day. Seems a little corny, I know, but it’s immensely helpful.
There are days that tire us out and it may seem like a small miracle that our
weary bodies have made it to bed that night. That’s when a crowd of saints–or,
as Hebrews says, a cloud of witnesses–cheering us on can be of great benefit
to us in our faith lives. Who are the saints in your life? For whom can you
give thanks? It doesn’t take much to imagine that they’re still for you, urging
you on each day as you live out your faith.
