I'm Gonna Run

“I’m Gonna Run” is inspired from the Scripture passage, which says: “I have run my race,…I have kept the faith.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) Paul uses this metaphor of a race to picture life, running one step at a time. The lyrics state “I’m gonna keep my pace,.. looking unto you.” “You” references God, Who is the Christian’s focus in their daily life. Heaven is pictured as the finish line. The text pictures the idea of a marathon, where the runner needs to keep their pace to avoid over-excursion and exhaustion. The runner keeps a goal- whether a race time, pace, personal record, or the finish line itself- to reach their mark. They never look back. They stay the course. They do not deter off the race’s path. Paul uses a race to explain how a Christian should live.
This Sunday school piece uses this picture of “eternal focus”. How the journey is run isn’t necessary, but rather, where the journey is going is what matters. This simple truth helps teach children that their future is to be guided by a focus on Heaven.
Musically, the piano accompaniment pictures running texturally. The rhythms are joyful and bouncy. Above the piano the voice sustains at the ends of phrases, showing endurance, determination, and dedication. The piece is ternary in form, allowing the A section to return at the end with variations in the piano accompaniment. This returning passage comes stronger dynamically and varied rhythmically in the piano. The singer is to sing “resolved”, choosing to run steadily with focus on their goal.