Endurance

Yesterday I mentioned the Iditarod. I assumed that you knew it's an 1150 miles sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome. It is run to commemorate the original run in 1925 to bring serum to Nome where children were dying of Diphtheria. It's a sheer test of endurance, just you, your dogs and the elements. Unlike more 'extreme' sports it is very solitary and quiet as the sled swishes over the snow. You have lots of time to think and discover things about yourself.
I have a favorite musher, Dee Dee Jonrowe. She has been racing a long time and has yet to win first place though she has come close. Last year was especially grueling as she raced after battling breast cancer and the side effects of chemo!Just visiting her website recently put a lump in my throat and brought tears to my eyes.
I have often said that I could never run this for many reasons. One is that my dog Buddy would want to be in the front but would drag us off the path after a fox, a moose or whatever he smelled. (He only wants to go for the big pots of food at every rest stop.)
I think that Dee Dee can relate to Hebrews 12:1,2 where we are told to get rid of anything in our lives that weighs us down and run the race before us with endurance, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the one who has gone before us. He did it for the joy of saving us, just as the original team ran the race against time for the joy of saving the children's lives.