Run With the Horses

The following was originally included in our 10/10/25 update but I wanted to share this portion as a stand-alone reflection as well.

Joy’s courage shown daily on the long road of her recovery, reminded me of a passage from Jeremiah which was actually in our Bible reading this week. In Jeremiah 12:5 we read: “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?”

Eugene Peterson, pastor, author of many books, and of “The Message” paraphrase of the Bible, actually wrote an entire book on this verse entitled, “Run With The Horses - The Quest for Life at Its Best.” His premise in the book fits so well with the courage I see in Joy and is a significant motivation for me in perseverance for living out the day to day of our “new normal.” While this is an extended quote, I feel Joy models this so faithfully and I hope it can encourage you as well. Peterson writes:

This memorable passage concerns Jeremiah's life when, worn down by the opposition and absorbed in self-pity, he was about to capitulate... He was ready to abandon his unique calling in God and settle for being a Jerusalem statistic. At that critical moment he heard the reprimand: "So, Jeremiah, if you're worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses? And if you can't keep your wits during times of calm, what's going to happen when troubles break loose like the Jordan in flood?…

God basically confronts Jeremiah with the statement, “Life is difficult, Jeremiah. Are you going to quit at the first wave of opposition? Are you going to retreat when you find that there is more to life than finding three meals a day and a dry place to sleep at night? Are you going to run home the minute you find that the mass of men and women are more interested in keeping their feet warm than in living at risk to the glory of God? Are you going to live cautiously or courageously? I called you to live at your best, to pursue righteousness, to sustain a drive toward excellence. It is easier, I know, to be neurotic. It is easier to be parasitic. It is easier to relax in the embracing arms of The Average. Easier, but not better. Easier, but not more significant. Easier, but not more fulfilling. I called you to a life of purpose far beyond what you think yourself capable of living and promised you adequate strength to fulfill your destiny. Now at the first sign of difficulty you are ready to quit. If you are fatigued by this run-of-the-mill crowd of apathetic mediocrities, what will you do when the real race starts, the race with the swift and determined horses of excellence? What is it you really want, Jeremiah? Do you want to shuffle along with this crowd, or run with the horses?

It is understandable that there are retreats from excellence, veerings away from risk, withdrawals from faith. It is easier to define oneself minimally ("a featherless biped") and live securely within that definition than to be defined maximally ("little less than God") and live adventurously in that reality. It is unlikely, I think, that Jeremiah was spontaneous or quick in his reply to God's question. The ecstatic ideals for a new life had been splattered with the world's cynicism. The euphoric impetus of youthful enthusiasm no longer carried him. He weighed the options. He counted the cost. He tossed and turned in hesitation. The response when it came was not verbal but biographical. His life became his answer, "I'll run with the horses."

Like Jeremiah, we all face daunting life realities, but despite the oft felt fears of inadequacy, I am encouraged, and I hope you can to be too, to trust God’s provision as he challenges us to gather our courage and determination to, “run with the horses.”