The Christian life is like waking up every morning and having Someone telling you to sprint hard toward a target in the distance. All day. Put all your heart and soul into the pursuit of what's on the horizon. "And by the way," the Someone tells you as you get ready to run, "you aren't going to make it there." Determined to prove them wrong, you get set at the starting block, and when the gunshot rings out, you take off at full sprint. But sure enough, you don't even come close. If the mark is at 10,000 meters, you barely make it 5,000. But as the sun dips below the horizon and you lift your face from the dirt, you see that the scoreboard shows that you've made it. The Someone ran the remainder in your place. Grateful, and exhausted, you let your head droop back to the ground and fall asleep.
The next morning you wake up, a little groggy and sore from the day before, and here stands Someone with a smile. "Alright, bud. Get ready to go. It's time to sprint toward the target on the horizon. Run hard, and an incomprehensible prize is waiting for you when you get there. But you're not going not make it today." And sure enough, the previous day's events repeat themselves. You fall exhausted and lift your weary head barely long enough to see that Someone ran the rest for you.
The sun rises the next day and Someone is right there waiting for you. "Get up. It's time to run. I promise it will be worth it when you get there." So off you run. And fall. And find that grace has credited you with the balance, but you never fully experience the prize.
Finally, one day you're running, just like every other day before. You've gotten stronger over the years, your muscles more sculpted, your form has improved, and you're far more agile than you were on Day 1. No longer resentful of a calling that formerly seemed futile, you suddenly find yourself transported in a moment to the horizon, and to the prize that was promised. The race has been run for good and your reward is at hand.
Jesus never promised that the race he's called us to run would be easy. But we're called nonetheless. His grace makes up for our shortcoming, but doesn't negate the fact that we're called to get up again and run tomorrow. Run hard - knowing that we will fall short, yet still determined to run with all our might again tomorrow, because He who called us deserves nothing less. Not only should the grace that credits us with a full race despite our failure be our motivation to run again tomorrow, but His faithfulness to take us all the way to the finish line one day is our hope.
"He who calls you is faithful. He shall surely do it." 1 Thess. 5:24