Remember the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare? As I recall, it goes something like this: An easygoing tortoise challenges a cocky hare to a footrace. Certain of an easy win, the hare agrees. At the sound of the starting gun, the hare sprints out to an insurmountable lead, while the tortoise moseys along at a slow but steady pace. He plods on while the hare, recognizing that he can take his time on the way to the finish line, decides to veer off-course for an afternoon siesta. Apparently, the time gets away from the snoozing bunny, because by the time he wakes up and starts running again, he’s been passed by the tortoise and can’t make up the ground in time and loses the race. 

It’s a familiar tale that lauds the slow but steady course. However, the fable teaches us something else as well. Had the hare endured to the finish line and denied himself the pleasure of a nap, he would have won. In other words, his desire to escape the rigors of the race, despite his skill on the track, cost him dearly. 

Minus the woodland creatures, the writer of Hebrews uses a similar metaphor to encourage his readers to persevere: 

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2)

The original audience of this letter was tempted with escapism. Persecution against followers of Christ was coming for them, and they saw an easier path in the familiar and comfortable Law of Moses. In response, the author pleads with them not to turn back but to endure—to hold on tight to Jesus. He is better! He is worth it! 

If we are going to run well, we must fight against the temptation of escapism: the deadly enemy of endurance.

Lay Aside EVERY Weight 

I don’t know about you, but I can count the number of times I’ve been tempted to return to the Mosaic Law on the fingers of one earlobe. In fact, if I’m completely honest, it kind of baffles me that anyone has ever been tempted by the notion. However, just because that one particular temptation does not appeal to me like it did my first-century counterparts in Judea, I’m not off the hook on this issue. Contemporary society offers myriad methods of diversion. I believe that basically, these pitfalls are what the author of Hebrews means by “hindrances” or “weights.” They’re not sins exactly (though we can certainly find sinful ways to escape our circumstances), but they can weigh us down. 

So, if it’s not a return to the Mosaic Law, what does tempt you? How do you tend to try to escape the grind of your circumstances?

  • Self-care: A day at the spa, a massage or manicure, a weekend away from the kids would be a dream come true. 
  • Work: Diving into a project in order to avoid what awaits you when you walk in the door of your house.
  • Shopping: Whether online or in-person, you try to buy your way out of the blues by racking up a big bill and worrying about it later.
  • Entertainment: Binge-watching a favorite show, losing yourself in a book, or indulging in “Netflix therapy” with a queue of your favorite movies—just what you need to get your mind off of the day that you had or the situation that you’re facing.
  • Gaming: Maybe screens are your thing and you like to be involved in the story. You can lose yourself for hours in your favorite game, forgetting about all the cares of the world you left behind. 
  • Social Media: Scrolling numbs the pain, and it’s so much more fun to see the unblemished lives of others rather than think about your own pockmarked existence. 
  • Sleeping: While God certainly created us all with a need for sleep, we can also use sleep as a shield, a way to dodge the realities of our lives. 
  • Food/Drink: The world of flavors that God made available to our palates is one of His most wonderful gifts, but we can easily abuse it when we use food or drink as a method of escape from the race.

None of these are forbidden by Scripture. In fact, some of them are necessities of life. We must eat, drink, sleep, and shop at some point in order to survive. However, we cross a line into escapism when these gifts begin to dominate our thinking. 

We don’t want to think about or deal with a situation, so we run from it. Rather than giving a problem over to God, you start fantasizing about when you can watch the next episode. Instead of seeking counsel from a godly friend, you immerse yourself in a fantasy world through your gaming system or scroll mindlessly through your Instagram feed. When you ought to renew your mind through the reading of the Word, you instead crawl under the covers and shut out the world. Instead of meditating on and memorizing Scripture, you self-medicate with an hour or two of your favorite game.

Enjoyment Isn’t Always Escapism 

At this point, let me clarify what I’m not saying. I’m not saying these “weights” are sinful in and of themselves. In fact, they are good gifts from our loving heavenly Father and evidence of His common grace. We are free to enjoy them. By all means, savor your first cup of coffee in the morning. Crack open a good book and delight in the story lodged within. Keep up with friends through Instagram or Facebook. Relish a day at the mall or a weekend getaway. Those are good and often necessary things. However, we can’t lose sight of the fact that these gifts are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. 

John Piper explains: 

“Paul assumes that there is a way, a necessary way, for Christians to transpose the enjoyments of good things in this world—God-given gifts—into worshipful acts that are holy, Christ honoring, and people loving. Those very acts…make music. You transpose that music into Christ-honoring music by the word of God and prayer—by bringing them into connection with the glory of God, the name of Jesus, and love for people.”1

Keep Running

Paul was no tortoise. His race, while steady, was far from slow. In his final letter, he gives this summation of his life:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)

I’m sure that, like me, you aspire to say the same thing at the end of your life. However, none of us knows when that day will come. Maybe, like Paul, you’ll have an inkling that the end is imminent. Or, maybe not. So instead of waiting until the end to say those words, why not aim for saying it at the close of each day? 

“Today, I have fought the good fight.” 

“Today, I have laid aside the weights and the sin and run with endurance.” 

“Today, I have kept the faith.” 

I don’t know what brand of escapism tempts you the most, but you do. What are you going to do about it? Will you allow it to rob you of the prize? Or will you fix your eyes on Christ and run for His glory? 

 1 Tony Reinke. Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life’s Most Important Questions. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024, 301.

Fortitude is courage in the face of pain, strength in the midst of adversity, and the ability to persevere under pressure. The kind of grit we need to follow Jesus won’t come from willpower or inner strength, but from the grace of God poured out in our lives. Join us August 25 through September 30 for Endure: A 40-Day Fortitude Challenge, where you’ll be invited to depend upon Christ for everything and to cultivate the confidence, clarity, calm, community, and courage required to stand firm in the storms of life.
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