Over the past few months I’ve noticed that my chosen hobby of running is becoming “mainstream.” Weekend 5Ks and fun runs grow increasingly crowded. Popular marathons sell out regularly — a rare occurrence only a few years ago. People are adding “running a marathon” to their list of life goals.

One big draw of these events is that feeling of euphoria you sense when you accomplish a goal, no matter your skill level. The throngs of people excitedly milling about at the start line, and celebrating at the finish, only add to the attraction.

Recently I experienced one of these fun-packed mornings at a popular marathon in Arkansas. However, sadly, the joy became tinged with a sad sobriety when the day took an unexpected turn. A man walking the half marathon suddenly collapsed at mile 11. He could not be revived.

My wife and I didn’t find out about his passing until arriving back at the hotel after the race. During our drive home, the exhilaration of personal accomplishment turned to somber reflection. As the story unfolded, we found that he had trained for several months and lost a lot a great deal of weight in preparation for the event. That morning the 37-year-old awakened and shared his regular morning devotions with his wife before they both headed to the race. Certainly they had no sense of the impending tragedy that would occur only hours later.

The Book of James reminds us that our lives are “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (4:8). We often embrace that verse as a reminder to  set proper priorities — and for good reason. Wisdom insists that we prepare in this life for the world to come.

But it also reminds us of the uncertainty that surrounds us in this life, how our lives are frail and transitory. When we awaken in the morning, we do so without knowing what joys or sorrows that day might bring.

Many in the world today would dismiss such an outlook as pessimistic or negative. But I believe it’s actually a message that can fill us with peace and hope. God has given us each the opportunity to place our lives in His hands. He wants to guide our paths, shape our destinies, and prepare us for eternity in His presence. When we surrender to His plans, there’s no need to worry about tomorrow. God will fill each day with purpose and joy, until that final tomorrow when we join Him in heaven.

Perhaps you’re struggling with fear today. Maybe the concerns and crises of life seem overwhelming. Cling to the promise that God directs the steps of His people (Psalm 37:23). As He leads you, He will make the way for His plans to come to pass.

If you’ve not asked Christ to become the Leader and Lord  of your life, I encourage you to do so now. Tomorrow need not be uncertain. No matter the past, your future can be grounded in an unshakable hope, in this world as well as the world to come.

One interesting part about working for the Pentecostal Evangel is that we often “celebrate” holidays early. For example, I just finished writing a word of tribute for the Mother’s Day issue coming up on May 13.

In addition to serving as a pleasant reminder that spring is on the way, this article has caused me to think about how the hand of God often guides our paths in ways we don’t realize until years later.

My experience growing up was not what many would regard as typical — yet it was far from unusual. My mother was a single parent from the time I was 3. Times were often not easy for her, raising two boys on her own. (My brother, Jason, is about a year younger than me.) There were ongoing financial struggles, even as she grappled with feelings of loneliness and abandonment. But perhaps most difficult were the spiritual battles that often left Mom floundering (to use her term) to find a walk with God.

Yet this dynamic was not isolated to our situation. My mom’s own mother had a difficult upbringing. Growing up during the Great Depression, she came from a family situation that left her orphaned more than once as a child. Then, when Grandma was 13, her mother died, and she found herself parentless. While she enjoyed the support of loving siblings, her early years were far from what most would consider preferable.

Death. Divorce. Abandonment. Turmoil. One might look at such a legacy and conclude, quite bluntly, it is a recipe for dysfunction, confusion, bitterness, and perhaps even spiritual disaster.

But God had other plans for our family. And, indeed, for me. Grandma entered a powerful relationship with Christ when Charismatic renewal swept the nation during the 1960s and ’70s. Ultimately, she became something of a matriarch to me and the family. In the latter years of her life, she talked of how Christians in the little town where she grew up related how they’d prayed for her and her “dysfunctional” family. Their prayers were heard.

Mom, too, grew into a flourishing relationship with Christ, in the ’90s. Today she inspires me with her tenacious faith despite the struggles of the past. My dad, who had abandoned the family for so many years, found Christ and became a zealous believer in the last decade of his life.

Such testimonies continue to mount in my family: grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles. My brother and I are both in ministry today. God’s goodness is so profound.

Real life. Grace. Love. Peace. Those are the words I use to describe what God has done.

I believe there is a powerful lesson in this story. Our yesterdays don’t have to define our tomorrows. Too often, we allow experiences to shape our identity. We see our circumstances and surroundings, and determine what is and is not possible in our lives.

God doesn’t define the value and course of our lives by what has gone before us. Instead, He equips us for what He has in store for the days to come. “I know the plans I have for you,” He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11. “Plans to give you hope and a future.”

I don’t pretend to understand what you’ve experienced in your past. I don’t know what circumstances you’re facing today. But God understands. He knows where you’re at this very moment, and He sees the countless days that have brought you to this point. Through it all, I believe He offers a reminder: “Yesterday doesn’t matter, as long as you’re willing to follow Me today.”

May we be faithful to grab hold of God’s incredible plans for our lives, regardless of yesterday.

“I could never do that!”

I’m amazed at how often I hear these words when people learn that I enjoy running marathons. Their doubt is easily transformed into an opportunity for encouragement, however, when I remind them that I used to be an overweight couch potato who couldn’t jog to the end of the block without a rest break.

Indeed, one of the joys of the sport is that virtually anyone can participate. Make your way to the starting line of a major marathon and you’ll find every segment of society represented. Up front are the world-class athletes. But amid the throng of thousands you will also find cancer survivors, the vision impaired, amputees, paraplegics on handcycles and neighborhood joggers like me.

What makes the scene most unique, however, is that every runner follows the same route. The Olympian and the octogenarian both seek a single finish line — and negotiate identical streets to get there. The time it takes to arrive varies greatly, as do the obstacles that some must overcome. But all share a common goal.

God’s Word presents a similar scene when describing the journey His people will navigate through this world: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

Keep in mind what precedes this exhortation. Throughout Hebrews 11, we read of those who endured countless challenges, and made bold declarations of faith, to follow God’s way. How they arrived at the finish line varied as much as the individuals themselves. What mattered is that they endured to the end.

We, too, confront difficult struggles on our spiritual journey. These battles might leave us wondering if it’s a race we’re capable of running. In those moments, we do well to remember who governs this race. He didn’t set us up to fail. We may not run like an Olympian. But in Him we find the strength we need to endure on the road that leads to life eternal. And, thankfully, it is a road that’s open to all.