The Art Show

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.~ Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

my son's design for the art show

“Just remember…Daddy and I are so proud of your hard work and perseverance,” I uttered as my husband and I hugged our son, feeling the overflowing excitement in our hearts that finally, his art was recognized for the county’s annual art show from high school students. The judges would never know the effort our child had put into every line of that drawing he made. After studying for other advanced classes, I saw many nights where he fought with dozing off to add more lines, made changes, measured, colored, and other things using the principles from Graphic Arts learned from a few years of taking this class paired with his enthusiasm to advance in this degree.

“I’m just a little bummed out. It seemed like the judges never liked any modern design,” my child assessed.

“Maybe I’ll make some changes next year when I join…”

“Why?” I quickly responded.

“Look at your design…” I suggested.

“What is the title that you had applied?” I hinted.

“Courage and endurance, Mom,” he replied.

“Why change? It is your idea. Unique from others. When others are seeing what they want to see, what they will never see is the hidden meaning you had used,” I suggested.

“What do you mean?”

“Courage…Endurance…Your car looks like a racing car. That is our Christian way of life. We are all in this race to make a difference as we race. Not aiming for recognition but aiming to spread things about our Lord Jesus. And that’s Who our focus is. We are not to please others. We are to please God.”

He was quiet. Contemplating every word I had thrown at him as he agreed.

“Why change? They thought you just copied the picture and pasted it. But when your teacher explained that everything was illustrated by you, that being known, changed the way they looked at your art. They knew deep inside that it was not easy. Hard for others to believe you did it on your own. It’s not about winning. It’s about seeing the courage and endurance you had displayed on your own,” I reassured.

The race is set before each of us. If we allow sins to make us fall, that will slow us down and hinder us from running this race. If focused on Jesus, it helps our attention away from carnal desires. We are prone to grow weary, maybe faint from afflictions but we must not. Trials and afflictions are sometimes God’s way of rebuking for those sins that easily entangles our feet. His way of discipline is not to condemn us but to help us shed those imperfect things.

Courage… Endurance… May we persevere in our obedience to finish this race and emerge not only as victors but fully reconciled to God’s chastisement.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24 (NIV)


You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.~ Hebrews 10:36 (NIV)

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~ Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)