Laying Aside Every Weight

There have been several opportunities these past two weeks that have just brought me to my knees, begging and pleading for the Lord to just work - to remove things from my past that still cause me to struggle today, to allow my heart to not be so completely shut off, to provide and direct my steps for England. 


My eyes were so focused on all these things of this world.  They were focused on everything that has to get done, on everything that needs to happen, every single detail that I felt I needed to control and figure out.  How can I work harder at making it go away?  How can I try harder to free myself from the past? 


Like always, the answers to these questions can't be found in anything other than God's living and active Word. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:1-2

Lay aside every weight.

Lay aside every sin.

Looking at those words, I have to admit, I was a bit frustrated.  He is telling me to lay it all aside.  I don't know about you, but I like to feel like I'm doing something, and this makes it clear that I'm not supposed to.  I like control.  I like to have a plan.  I like to be able to feel like I'm making an impact, like I'm taking some kind of action to fix or solve a problem.

Sound familiar to you?  We can thank that super awesome thing called the Fall for that...our desire to control and dominate these situations - our life!

So how are we supposed to just let it go?  How are we supposed to lay aside every weight, and every sin that CLINGS to us? 

I love that word "cling."  I think of my niece Imogen in particular - she clings to her mother.  Pretty much all the time (although I think it's getting a bit easier, but I'll let Amanda decide that for sure...).  When Imogen can tell that Amanda is getting ready to put her down, to lay her aside, she clings even harder.

That's how it is with our sin.  Whether that sin is from the past, present or future, it clings to us like a child clings to their parent.  When we make the decision to try to let it go, to lay it aside like Christ calls us to, it seems to get harder - the pull seems to get stronger.

So what are we supposed to do?  How are we supposed to lay it all aside, to get it stop clinging to us, pulling us down?

In the same verse, God provides the answer: "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..."

God tells us to take our eyes off the sin.  Take our eyes off every single weight that is holding us back.  He wants us to take our eyes off of ourselves and our struggles, and fix our eyes on Him. 

He tells us that Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith - not us.  Jesus lays the foundation for our faith - a perfect, solid foundation that we can trust to hold us steady.  When we feel like it is too hard to let go, there's too much baggage to move forward, we are called to step out in faith.  We are called to simply take the first step - that gigantic leap of faith - and we are promised that by keeping our eyes on Jesus, He will catch us. 

God doesn't want us to work harder or try harder to get through these things.  He wants to free us of those weights and sins that hold us back.  He isn't asking us to do anything, but simply look to Jesus.

Look at that old rugged cross and be reminded that Christ took on that weight of your sin already.  He carried it on His back up that hill, our sins clinging to His body.  It held Him down on that tree, as His blood poured out.  He already paid the ransom for your sins.  He already carried that weight of shame for you. 

What is it that is weighing you down, holding you back now?  Where are you working so hard to control and plan?  Where can you stop, rest, breathe, and simply look to Jesus? 

Don't try to carry something that you weren't designed to carry.  Lay it down at the foot of the cross, and RUN with endurance into your heavenly Father's arms.