Throw It Off!

If you follow me on FB at all, you know that I try to be consistent in my workouts and have taken to wearing a weighted vest much of the time. Today, I set out walking/running, wearing my lovely addition. (Okay, so I am not very fashion-conscious when it comes to my workouts! ;O) )

I had not gone very far when the Lord brought to mind a scripture, tucked away in the recesses of my mind, and struck me with the profound truth of it all...

Hebrews 12:1 ~ "Let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us".

The first thing that hit me was the beauty of His Word and the need to read it and tuck it away in our hearts so we can, at a later time appointed by Him, meditate on it and allow it to impact the way we do life.

As I pondered this passage, I realized how sin is like that weighted vest...it bears down on us and makes the everyday aspects of life much more laborious than He ever intended them to be. Whether it be lust or porn, gossip or pride, an adulterous relationship, or even the sin of self-depricating thoughts, walking out our day-to-day lives becomes a chore.

As I came to the end of my 3rd mile (up the hills backwards, of course), I began to imagine the freedom I would feel as I shed that vest, an innocuous seeming amount of weight but a weight none-the-less, and completed my final mile. I just knew it would make the going easier and the strain less obvious!! I was right in part, but I truly was unprepared for the intial reaction my body had...

Removing the vest felt wonderful until I took my first steps. I was shocked at how quickly my mind had adjusted to the weight and tricked me into believing that it was necessary for me to feel balanced as I proceeded. The first quarter mile of my final lap, I felt like a new calf testing my legs for the very first time. My mind had become conditioned to the feel of the weight and had made the necessary calculations to continue on in a seemingly productive way. I had to retrain my body and my mind to walk/run without it!

Sin is so similar in the way it draws us in and settles over us with a familiarity that breeds the unconscious adjustments we make in life. The process of laying aside that sin, choosing to walk in the truth of His Word, requires a conscious effort on our part and initially causes us to feel somewhat out of sorts. The ensuing freedom we experience if we persevere makes it all worth it, though.

The final truth I realized as I wound up my time was the fact that without the experience of added weight, I may not have truly understood the freedom that came with laying it down. We can become discouraged and consumed with guilt because of the sin we involve ourselves in, instead of looking at it as an opportunity to rejoice in the knowledge of the freedom we experience by laying it aside!

1 Cor. 9:26 ~ "I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me!"

Lord, I desire to run in such a way that I may be productive in all I do. Please help me recognize and lay aside any sin that may be weighing me down and causing me to run in a defeated way. I want to make it across that finish line and I want to hear you say, "Well done my good and faithful servant", when I get there!