Pebble-Free!

It’s amazing how little things are just little things . . . until they aren’t. A pebble, for example, is of zero concern to anyone in the universe, until it finds its way into your shoe!

In Hebrews 12:1 the Bible likens our Christian experience to that of a race. Not a sprint, in which the goal is to finish first and fast, but a marathon, in which the goal is to endure and finish well. After the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith, the author of Hebrews says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1, 2).

It seems that our ability to run the race of our Christian experience well can be impacted by two things: weights and sin. Sin, I would think, is an obvious danger to the Christian; it has ruined men and angels! But what about this idea of “weights”? The word translated from the Greek is ogkos, and it simply means a mass, as in a heavy load, a burden, or a hindrance. This word appears only once in the New Testament (in Hebrews 12:1), and that it is distinguished from “sin” implies that there can be morally neutral things—pursuits, habits, relationships, and activities—that slow down the spiritual momentum of our Christian experience.

It seems that our ability to run the race of our Christian experience well can be impacted by two things: weights and sin.

In the story of Lot a preoccupation with worldly allurements prevented Lot’s wife from escaping from the burning city of Sodom (Gen. 19:26). Similarly, worldly possessions kept back the rich young ruler from a life of discipleship to Jesus (Matt. 19:22). Is it possible that we are so busy keeping up with the things of this world—the news, social media, fashions, and trends—that we find ourselves having less and less time for Jesus, and no time for prayer? Are our phones, TVs, or even endless scrolling sapping us of precious time we could be spending in the Word? These things can be weights.

When David was preparing to face Goliath, he found Saul’s armor to be a hindrance because it didn’t fit (1 Sam. 17:39). The question we need to be asking as we reflect on our own lives is this: Does this (fill in the blank) help me run the race to Jesus and for Jesus? Maybe it’s people—or even family ties—that hold us back from making progress following God’s calling. In Luke 9:59 Jesus bid a man follow Him, and he replied that he would . . . when his father had died. Yes, family is a blessing, but if our families come between us and Jesus, they can be a hindrance to our spiritual progress.

As you reflect on your own experience, perhaps you can see that there are weights and sins threatening to impede your spiritual progress in the Christian race. If that’s you, take heart, because, praise God, these need not be permanent impediments! We can, by the grace of God, choose to lay them aside and let Jesus take care of them. As we near the coming of Jesus, may our hearts be so fixed on Christ and His righteousness that nothing and no one will be more important to us than Him. Pray and ask God to help you identify any weights that you need to surrender to Him, so that on that glorious day when gravity loses its power, we will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air—pebble-free for eternity!