I am doing a new plan on the Bible app called, “Everyday Faith”. It is a 50 day plan that has been really good so far. I am up to day 9 and have found it very encouraging. I have copied today’s reading below. If you are interested, you can click on the link above.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 NLT
The writer of Hebrews makes a distinction. There is sin. And there are weights. Not everything that slows you down is rebellion. Some things are simply heavy: old disappointments that never fully resolved. Expectations placed on you that you owned without question. Roles you stepped into without discernment. Conversations that replay in your mind long after they ended.
You can love Christ and still be carrying unnecessary weight.
We grow used to carrying these weights, even though they drain us. Over time, the burden begins to feel normal. But normal does not mean healthy.
As The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan illustrates, the traveler, Christian, could not move freely because of what he carried:
“He could not go fast, by reason of the burden that was upon his back.”
And when Christian finally came to the cross, the story tells us:
“His burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble…”
The burden was not managed. It was released.
When you picture following Christ with freedom, what feels in the way? What makes you cautious when you should be courageous? What makes you hesitant when you sense you should move? The call is simple, but not easy: lay it aside. Not analyze it endlessly. Not manage it more carefully. Lay it down. You cannot run while gripping what Christ never asked you to carry or protect.
Action Question:
What weight have you been carrying that the journey with Jesus does not require?
Prayer:
Jesus, I lay down my burdens, the unnecessary weight I am carrying. I cast my burden upon you. Take them from me now and allow me the grace to feel them lifted.
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