Weights

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

I’ve been walking while carrying one 3-pound weight in each hand. They aren’t heavy.  They do, however, become heavier the steeper the hill, or the longer I carry them. Often, I go on a 3 mile walk and put the weight down at the halfway point. It’s truly amazing how much easier my walk becomes when I put down weights. Suddenly I have a bounce in my step. I can walk faster, and the hills seem so much easier.

When I carry my weight, I can’t help but think of the life weights I tend to pick up. Often, I think I can handle a situation on my own, so I carry the weight by myself because it doesn’t seem very heavy. Since it’s not very heavy, I see another situation that needs my attention, so I pick up more weight. Before long, I find myself carrying the weight of the world.

Before I realize it, the situations I keep carrying become more difficult. Life’s rain comes. Then, I find myself walking around in the mud from the rain of life. I’m carrying so much weight I begin to sink. It’s a vicious cycle.

It never has to be this way. The writer in Hebrews tells us to lay down the weight. Laying weight down is just as important as laying sin down. We don’t have to walk around with the weight of the world on our shoulders. We are clearly instructed to lay the weight down. Better yet, Jesus is walking right beside us. We can simply hand the weights to Him. Who better to trust with our weights than the one who took on the sins of the world to save us from ours?

It’s so much easier to run our race with endurance if we put the weight down. What weight are you carrying? Isn’t it time you put it down? How will you Devote2day?

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2