All about the Number
It is all about the number, but everyone’s number is different.
The annual time trials had arrived, and every swimmer was being judged by the number on the clock when they touched the wall at the end of the race. Some got to the wall with smooth beautiful form while others appeared to struggle a great deal. But so long as every swimmer swam legally, the “how” and the aesthetic appeal (or lack thereof) were of no consequence.
The only thing that mattered was the number.
The number would determine the rank.
The number would set the standard.
Swimming is a team sport conducted individually. Swimmers combine their efforts toward a team goal, but each one must navigate the course as an individual. From the starting block to the finishing wall, each swimmer competes alone.
The comparisons to your life are many, but let us quickly establish that you are never alone. Your God clearly promises, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). You do not walk this life alone.
You do, however, have your own number. You have a unique race to run, and the goal for your race is not determined by the race set out for the one next to you. Hebrew 12:1 says you are, “surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,” and that you should, “run with perseverance the race marked out for [you].”
Friend, it is so very easy to look over at the swimmer—or the Jesus follower—next to you to compare. It is so easy to either validate or excoriate yourself (both are plenty acceptable results to the enemy of your soul) based on what you see in the lane—or life—next to you.
But here is the truth: God has given you a unique race to run. He’s given you a unique number to aim for and equipped you with a specific set of skills to accomplish that course. For some, it is smooth and beautiful and fast. For others, perhaps it appears to require far more effort.
Like the sport of swimming, following Jesus is a team sport that requires individual and personal surrender to the lordship of Jesus. You need me, and I need you. In this sense, it is very much a team sport. But Jesus requires that your devotion and mine be personal and undivided. He insists on having your complete and total surrender to Him (Rom. 10:9; Philip. 2:9-11).
You cannot run my race, and I cannot run yours. We can and should spur each other on, but my friend, it is all about the number, and everyone’s number is different.
The time trials are upon us. What race has God set before you? What number has He assigned to you, and what is necessary in order for you to attain it?
Let’s together endeavor to support the one next to us, but also resist the urge to confuse their lane assignment with ours. The number sets the standard, and those standards merge together to accomplish the will of your heavenly Father.
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.