We're running the race... but to where? God calls us to perfection and holiness. Gregory of Nyssa discusses this race Christians are running in his devotional. I found it really interesting when he talked about how to measure this race. Trying to obtain perfection, all the while knowing that we can't possibly reach it might not sound like a race one would want to enter into. But then there is grace. God commands us to be perfect as He is. God sees the progress that we are making along the way. Sometimes we'll struggle. At other times we'll gain by leaps and bounds.
What is our purpose in running the race? If our motivation in living a virtuous way of life is because we fear punishment, want rewards, etc, then we aren't making any progress. Our motivation should be to grow closer to God. He is our friend and father. He may have given us a command to be perfect, and it isn't going to be easy all the time. But God is giving us an invitation to be closer to Him, if we would only pay attention! Our goal in this race isn't to run the fastest and beat everyone else. We are running the race together as children of God. We all want to reach the goal--not only ourselves, but our brothers and sisters as well. Looking at the race as a competition leads us to miss the point.
"...we consider becoming God's friend the only thing worthy of honor and desire. This, as I have said, is the perfection of life." --Gregory of Nyssa
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