Let Go of the Baggage
Today’s Verse:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ~Hebrews 12:1
I am a moderate runner. I enjoy the benefits of running. All serious runners know that any kind of running requires commitment, discipline, good eating, focus, and adequate rest. When running competitive races, it is imperative that a runner is attired in the lightest, most appropriate running apparel. Any extra weight could wear you out faster or keep you from winning the race. Paul exhorts us to lay aside every weight. He is instructing us to let go of the baggage that we tend to hold on to.
There is the restriction of our baggage.
Our baggage, or weights, can be a great impediment to our progress, productivity, and prosperity in the Christian life. Our baggage hinders our ability to start and finish things. Our baggage makes us unsuitable for important responsibilities in serving the Lord. Our baggage can make us someone whom others may want to avoid. Our baggage disables our credibility with others. Our baggage hinders our ability in having the right perspective on living for the Lord. Our baggage limits our faith. Our baggage is like cargo, tackling, and other heavy items that a ship in distress needs to throw overboard so that it does not sink in a storm. Holding on to baggage that we need to get rid of makes us people who never finish or win a race! What weights and baggage are holding you back?
There is the recognition of our baggage.
The baggage we carry comes in many varieties. There are the burdens of life that we hold on to. There are the anxieties and worries that stress us out. There are the family issues that, many times, seem undone. There are feelings of ill will towards others. There is the bitterness and unforgiveness that we refuse to let go of. There are the relationships that discourage us, disparage us, or demean us. We must be realistic and identify the baggage that we are carrying with us everywhere we go. What’s your baggage that you are carrying?
There is the removal of our baggage.
Dealing with the baggage in our life is not rocket science or a sophisticated seminar that we need to attend. Very simply, we must lay aside every weight. Just as men on a ship that are in a storm would start throwing all excess weight overboard to lighten the ship, we must be unemotional about our weights and throw them overboard. Let go of your baggage! Stop looking inside that unnecessary backup to see what you need to keep. Realize that it is a weight that impedes your spiritual success, and let it go!
There are the results without our baggage.
You are back in the race! Your shoulders and back feel much lighter. Your ability to run accelerates. You no longer run with a frown on your face and the look of toil in your run. You are running with a runner’s stride. You are running with a winner’s outlook. You are able to catch up with the other runners and, even, surpass them. As you run, you realize that you did not need that baggage and weight! You think, “I should have laid that aside a long time ago!”
It’s time to get back in the race! Lay aside your baggage and weight! Take that unnecessary backpack off. Be done with the weights that used to sideline you and run with patience to win!
Have a weightless God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Galatians 1-3