Let Go of the Things That Hold You Back

In summary of the second half of Hebrews 12:1 it says, “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress ...”

Bottom line:
Strip off, get rid of, remove anything that would get in our way, especially the sin that easily holds us back or trips us up

What this means to me:
If I’m going to finish well in the race of life, i.e. make it to the finish line, I’ll need to let go of some things that are holding me back.  I’ll have to de-clutter/simplify things in order to finish well.  It’s a little bit like attaching too many things to one battery, it won’t last long.  These things can include additional items to my schedule (which can ultimately cause me to become discouraged and tired because I can’t finish them.)  Overall there are two things contribute to holding me back.  One is weight; extra burdens, relationships, work, activities, unrealistic expectations - too many things whether good or bad can wear me out.  And the others is sin; missing God’s mark -  the things that you know to do but you don’t do them (i.e. spending more than I make, knowing the right thing to do but choosing not to.)  I need to learn to say “no” to many things in order to grow.  I don’t think God expects me to do everything.  I can only live in the now, trying to understand the future or dwelling in the past will only weigh me down.   Also, I need to be careful to live within my means so that I can lay aside the weight of financial debt and run this race well.  So today I will consider the things that are weighing me down that I may need to lay aside.  I’ll need to determine the changes that I’ll need to make in my lifestyle that will help me run the race well.