Truth

Author: Abby Carlin

5/15/23

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV): “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I will be the first person to say that I am not a runner. I am not someone who enjoys running, though I admire people who are runners and enjoy running. I did try to find enjoyment in running, though it honestly is just not my thing.

As I am not a runner, I can only imagine how ineffective running a race it would be to have things that are holding onto you. Whether it is something physically holding onto you, or things placed in your path placed to make you fall. And I can imagine how much easier it would be to run your race when the things that are holding you back or placed in such a way to make you fall were removed. How much quicker would you accomplish the task that is in front of you.

Now you may be wondering, how does this apply to me? Well, there are different things that will either hold you back or pitfalls placed in your path to make you fall. What do I mean? Well, if you are carrying guilt over things that you have done, that is like a weight. If you have multiple things that you are feeling guilty about, it is like another weight being placed on you. If you are sinning, it is also like another weight was placed on you. Pitfalls can be things that you struggle with. Things that you may or may not be willing to share because you are embarrassed about.

You may now be thinking, ok, great Abby…now what? Well, I want to tell you that if you are in Christ, you have access to freedom. When you ask God to forgive the things that you have done in the past, your mistakes, etc. it is like God picks up each one of those weights. When you see, “danger ahead” you can avoid those pitfalls. The Bible tells us in John 8:36 (NIV): “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

If you want to experience this freedom, you need to go to your loving Father and ask Him to forgive you. If you have someone that you sinned against, you will also need to go to that person and ask for their forgiveness. As you experience this freedom, you will feel free. But I also want to encourage you to keep people around you that will help hold you accountable, who will remind you when you mess up to go back to your loving Father, and encourage you to seek God’s help.

As you experience these weights that are being lifted from you, you will be able to run your race more effectively. You will also then be able to help others in their race. You will want to help others, so that they will also experience the freedom that you have experienced yourself.