In the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, a marathon runner from Tanzania was hit during the race. The hit knocked him to the pavement, resulting in a dislocated knee and badly wounded shoulder. He got up and continued to race finishing last, as the sun set. When asked why he kept running, he replied, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race." God has has also sent us to finish a race. How are we doing? Are we running well? Hebrews 12 tells us to lay aside every weight and sin that ensnares us so that we can run effectively. When we carry weights and sins like unforgiveness, bitterness, or anxiety, we cannot run successfully. We need to drop these things that are weighing us down; so that, we can run effectively. We have to understand that collectively, we cannot win the race if we aren't running the race well individually.