Hebrews 12: (MSG)
1  Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.
2  Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 KJV
7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

I am the first to admit that I have wanted to throw in the towel, quit the race, and give in to despair and depression.  I have often joked that I am too stupid to lay down and die.  Life has at times been beyond frustration and any sense of normalcy.  At least compared to those around me. 

What I fail to remind myself is I am only seeing an outward presentation from those I thought had a great life.  Had the perfect family without a care in the world.  What I couldn’t see is what was going on in those four walls after they closed their door.

The couple whose marriage is strained and on the praecipe of total collapse.  The child of that couple who is suffering with eating disorders because they feel they don’t have that perfect body that glamour magazines tell us this how a young girl should look.  Or that young man who feels the friction between his parents and is hiding from them his addiction to illicit drugs and alcohol.

It seems in life you can do all the right things, always attend the local church, go to work every day without failure, send the children to the best schools, yet life has a way to throw up hurdles and road blocks in the way.

Turn the scriptures to Genesis and read about a young man named Joseph.  He honoured his father, did his chores and had faith in the God of Abraham.  Joseph though was kind of a excitable man.  Joseph one night had a dream in which he saw sheaves of wheat.  There were sheaves surrounding one and they were bowing down to it.  This dream was God’s way of telling Joseph what was in store for him.  You see the sheaves that were bowing down were his brothers and they were bowing down before Joseph.  Joseph in his excitement told this dream to his brothers.  They laughed at him, scoffed him, and began hating him more as time passed by.

The brothers were already jealous of Joseph because he was his fathers favourite.  The brothers schemed and decided that they could not bare with Joseph any longer.  They bound him and sold him into slavery to Egyptians.  They stripped the coat off of him and covered it with blood and led their father to believe that Joseph was dead.

Joseph must have felt like his whole world had just collapsed in on him.  He is now captive and a slave in Egypt.  Joseph though did not lose hope in the dream that God had shown him.  He was faithful even when in captivity and in prison.  Other prisoners would tell their dreams to Joseph and God would give Joseph the meaning of the dreams.

One night Pharaoh had a dream of seven fat cows and seven lean cows.  Pharaoh called for his magicians, and fortune tellers looking for the meaning of his dream.  No answer could be found.  Word was given to Pharaoh about Joseph and how his God gave the meaning of dreams.  He sent for Joseph and asked Joseph for the meaning of the dream.  He did not tell the young man his dream.  Joseph asked for some time to seek God for the dream and the meaning of it.

God proved faithful and gave to Joseph the dream and its meaning.  The fat cows represented seven years of plenty and the lean cows represented seven years of famine.  Then on top of that God gave Joseph the wisdom to tell Pharaoh what to do.  During the plentiful years, save up wheat so there would be food for all during those seven years of famine.  Pharaoh rewarded Joseph by appointing him a prince in the land of Egypt. 

No matter the hurdle of the roadblock you are facing in your life at this present moment take courage.  If you will keep looking forward, keep running towards that finish line, do not look back, God will be your reward when you cross that final finish line.

I have much more to write about on this subject.  There are many instances throughout the Bible of how Gods people ran towards the finish line even though in the eyes of everyone around them would be enough to quit, turn back and lose out on the reward God has waiting for them.