Light on My Feet

“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1

It struck me as interesting that the writer of Hebrews chose “throw off” here to instruct us about what to do with the sin that entangles us. He didn’t say to reason our way through it, to ignore it and hope it will go away, and he didn’t even say to go see a counselor about it. He told us to throw it off – get rid of it, banish it, drive it out, cast it off. Why? Because he knew how susceptible we are to being caught up in it. The writer is honest with the reality of his sinful nature and reminds us that we are easily entangled in sin. Think about the poor moth that gets tangled up in a spider’s web. He barely brushes against it and the web clings onto his frail body. Then, as he desperately wrestles to get free, he is ultimately bound deeper and tighter into the web. We are like that moth and when we get caught up in our sinful habits – be it overeating, pornography, gossip, selfishness, pride, unforgiveness, doubt, etc - we are prevented from running the race of our Christian life with both perseverance and in a manner that represents our Lord well to those watching us.

So, what is it that you need to “throw off” and what does that look like? Are you like me - guilty of reasoning away, ignoring or talking to everyone else but God about your sin? Two days ago, I actually threw out a box of cookies I had left over from a party because they were too tempting for me. You may find that ridiculous because that’s not your struggle, but to me, that was “throwing off” what easily entangles me. We MUST get serious about this Christian race we’re running and what it takes to run well. I don’t know about you, but this is one race in which I want to be light on my feet!