I'm Not Racing, I'm Simply Going with Jesus

I’M NOT RACING. I’M FOLLOWING JESUS. 👑

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” — John 14:27, NKJV

Yesterday morning, driving to work, I looked over at the traffic beside the express lane. Cars were backing up, but ahead of me was open road. Nobody in front of me. Nobody behind me. Just room to breathe and keep moving. Before that backup, some drivers seemed determined to race alongside me. And I thought, Why would I get caught up in that? I’m already going where I need to go. Peacefully. 😂🤷‍♀️

It made me think about how exhausting it is to live caught up in the world’s race and the life I once lived. Having the last word. Keeping up appearances. Proving somebody wrong. Something might feel good for a minute, but then you have to keep feeding it. Keep defending it. Keep chasing it. The enemy would love to keep us so distracted by who’s beside us that we stop paying attention to where we’re headed.

But when I choose Jesus, I don’t have to accept every invitation to compete. I don’t have to answer every sideways look or let somebody else’s attitude take over my whole day. And yes, I’m talking to myself here, too! There are days I can get spiritually backed up over one comment. Suddenly, somebody else is gone about their business, and I’m still sitting there arguing with them in my head. Lord, help me keep moving. 😂

Following Jesus doesn’t mean every road stays clear. I still deal with pain, anxiety, disappointments, and things I never saw coming. His promise is peace even when those things happen. Sometimes the circumstances haven’t changed at all, but my heart settles because I remember Who is with me.

And let me be clear: we don’t buy our way into that peace like we pay a toll. Jesus offers it freely. But choosing to follow Him does mean surrendering things I sometimes want to hold on to - my pride, my need to be right, my urge to get even or even have a thought that I can't wait 'till God gets even for me. I have to decide whether winning that moment is worth handing over my peace.

Today, I want to pay more attention to Jesus than to whoever seems to be racing or competing beside me. I can wish them well and keep going. I have somewhere to be, and I want to arrive with my peace still intact. 👑💜

The only competition I am in is with the previous day... being better than I was, less like me, and more like Jesus!

Questions to sit with today:

1. Where am I exhausting myself trying to compete, prove a point, or have the last word?

2. What am I holding on to that I need to surrender to Jesus?

3. What would choosing His peace look like in one difficult moment today?

Prayer

Jesus, thank You for giving me peace that doesn’t depend on everyone around me behaving right. Help me recognize when I’m getting pulled into competition, anger, or distractions. Teach me to pause before I react and to surrender my need to prove myself. When the road gets hard, remind me that You are still with me. Keep my eyes on You and guide my words, my attitude, and my next step. In Jesus’ name, amen. 💜