How Do You Stay the Course?

After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us toward is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again. For however important chastity (or courage, or truthfulness, or any other virtue) may be, this process trains us in habits of the soul which are more important still. It cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God. We learn, on the one hand, that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and, on the other, that we need not despair even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven.

C. S. Lewis

Have you ever been on a road trip to some place you’ve never been and wonder if you are lost? I have more times than I can count. Sometimes I have veered a little off course and had to correct, usually because of GPS losing its mind, but sometimes if I just stay the course, I find my destination was right in front of me all along.

Set the Course

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

(Hebrews 12:1-2)

When we choose Jesus Christ as Lord, we have a course set out before us. Like a race course, there are mile markers along the way, but instead of telling us how far we have to go, they tell us how far we’ve come. It also has historic markers that tell us who have come before us and how their race ended. These markers encourage us as we follow the race set before us because we know the joy that awaits if we stay the course.

Follow the Course

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

(Isaiah 30:21)

Sometimes we get confused along the course. There are roads leading in different directions, and the road ahead may seem too difficult. When we are tempted to take a detour, stop and ask for directions. The course master (Holy Spirit) is alway ready to point us in the right direction. We just have to trust that He knows the way.

Keep the Course

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

(Proverbs 4:23)

When we’ve been on the course for a while, fatigue can set in and cause us to look for an easier path. This is when we have to be diligent to keep our focus on the race set before us and not be tempted by seemingly easier paths. If we want to finish the race strong, then we have to keep to our course.

Stay the Course

The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint, so we have to develop skills and training that will keep us moving forward on the right course. It can be difficult, grueling, and even heart-breaking at times, but there is joy, too. We grow through the difficult portions so that we are prepared for the next segment of the race. Not to mention, the glories that await at the end of the course.

Special Note: My friend, Dr. Katherine Pasour, has just released a new book for graduates titled Stay the Course. I wish I had had this book when I graduated high school. It’s a devotional and a guide to your first year of college all in one. It’s full of tips for dealing with the first year away from home from a biblical perspective. It’s an excellent gift for new graduates because it includes tips and suggestions for the summer before you start college as well.

Related Posts:

Stay the Course – The End Of My Yarn (lindalyle.com)

Next Steps: When It’s Time to Move – The End Of My Yarn (lindalyle.com)