You have not come to…darkness, gloom, and storm….You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.  You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn….You have come to God…to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant… (Hebrews 12:18, 22-24 NIV)

In my home, the “second wind” is something made famous by my wife, Teresa.  Settling in for some down time at the end of a busy day, she has been known to disappear into a flurry of activity somewhere within or around our house.  When I inevitably ask as our two boys used to in their days at home, “Why are you still working?”, she has typically responded, “I found my ’second wind!’”  Of course, the reference is to a phenomenon in long distance running described as a new burst of strength and energy after feeling like all reserves were depleted.

In a spiritual setting like the one original to the book of Hebrews, many in the house church to whom the letter was directed were “hitting the wall.”  The stress of persecution, suffering, public insult, and the mistreatment of others they cared for had taken a toll on their spiritual strength and vitality.  Consequently, the author encouraged them with the examples of faithful followers in history, pointed them to the example of Jesus who endured the cross, and called them to endure the hardship as part of their training or suffer the consequences.  Not so encouraging, right?

Well, with a series of provocative verbal images, the author went on and painted two pictures in stark contrast to each other.  The experience of fear, distance, and terror associated with the initiation of the first covenant was placed alongside the experience of festivity, intimacy, and confidence associated with the new covenant.  In other words, he was reminding them that God in full humanity came near to institute a new covenant through which all who follow Him could draw near for grace and mercy in full confidence.  But, what does this mean?

When the race feels long, and spiritual strength and energy wanes, peace with all people and holiness can be pursued and obtained through the “second wind” we receive by drawing near to Jesus.  At this point, our race metaphor breaks down.  The “second wind” we find in life does not come from within us, or result from our tenacious training, but from Jesus on the basis of His death in our place.  It is not accessed by trying harder, or doing more, but by submitting to Him.

Submission!  The concept of relinquishing the will of self to the will of another, namely God, is not a new one for Christ followers.  But, the difference between reward and regret at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be determined by it.  Obviously, a tension exists between knowing and doing in this area.  So, assuming that we know, what are we doing?  How are we going to live?  Annie Dillard once said, “How we live our days is…how we live our lives.”  Are you finding that “second wind” spiritually?  Tell me about it!  If you haven’t found it, let’s talk about “why?”

Love you all,

tim