On the foggy morning of July 4th 1952, Florence Chadwick, a powerful swimmer, attempted to be the first woman to swim the 21 miles of shark infested waters from the coast of California to the Island of Catalina. Less than a half a mile from her goal she asked to be pulled from the waters. What caused her to quit was not the fatigue but the fog. "If I could have seen land, I might have made it." Two months later she attempted the swim again. This time she was successful despite the fact that once again fog obstructed her view of the island. This time she was able to overcome despair by keeping a picture of the island coast in her mind.

Hardships, adversity, unexpected tragedies, disappointments and common distractions can drape our goals in a fog. Anyone who has faced discouragements knows how Florence Chadwick must have felt as she struggled to swim without being able to see her goal. We need to keep a vision of our goal clearly before us.

(Hebrews 12:1) "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." 2 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." 3 "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

The Book of Hebrews is about persevering under pressure. The writer is addressing believers who for one reason or another have begun to drift off course, compromise the faith and in some cases deny Christ. We know that they were experiencing persecution which included the loss of their own property, much public ridicule and shame (Hebrews 10:33-34). Although they were not yet being martyred, they sensed such hardship that the focus and goal of their faith was obscured by the fog of adversity. They were in danger of discarding the pearl of great price, selling their birthright and casting away their confidence in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In losing Christ, they would lose everything.

This is the reason that the Book of Hebrews is full of such strong warnings. Running the race is a life or death matter. Too many Christians see discipleship as an option, an extra-curricular activity for the more zealous. Jesus said, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." (Matthew 10:32-33; NIV).

Jesus has a glory that outshines all others. His glory makes even the glories of the angels, the prophets, Moses, Joshua, the promised land, the priesthood, the tabernacles and temple, pale by comparison. Once you experience the glory of the person of Christ, you are ruined for all else. Nothing else, including religion, can compare.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews encourages us to go to MATURITY (6:1), draw near to God (SPIRITUAL INTIMACY Hebrews 10:22) and go forth unto Him without the camp in identification (BOLD WITNESS Hebrews 13:13). These are worthy goals for spiritual formation. But how often we get stuck in a spiritual fog and fail to go the distance.

What tempts you to back away from your commitment to Christ? Is there anything about current conditions in your life that would cause you to drift from pursuing the worthy goals of spiritual maturity, intimacy and bold identification with Christ? Be ready to take action. Adopt some of the prescriptions found in the Book of Hebrews. Don't turn off when the pressures turn on. Go the distance with God's grace. Your faith will be rewarded.

Pressing On,