Lose The Weight

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

Patty had been trying for weeks to lose a few pounds, but somehow she just couldn’t seem to shed them; she changed her diet, she went to the gym, but nothing seemed to be working fast enough. James had been working out for quite some time and fashioned himself to be a body builder; today he tried adding a few more pounds to his bench press, but couldn’t seem to handle the increase, he had to lose the weights. Angela’s heart was heavy, it felt like a ton of bricks were pressed upon her chest, after losing her only child; she wanted to lose the weight on her heart.

How about us? How many times have we tried to lose weight in our bodies, minds, or souls? How many times have we taken on more than we can handle or bit off more than we could actually chew? In those moments we know we need to rid ourselves of the weight in order to live healthily, yet we somehow manage to struggle with the process.

Similarly, we struggle daily with things that weigh us down. Life can throw some difficult curves like death, sickness, financial woes, career pitfalls, loneliness, personal disappointments, and stress. In those moments it feels like the world is hanging on our shoulders, like a dead weight hanging over our heads. These feelings, like an actual weight, are heavy and burdensome. In fact they can become the focus of our lives and block us from seeing our destiny or purpose.

The writer in Hebrews knew this and so he reminded us to lay aside the weight and the sin that sets us back. See gaining weight always slows the body down, and much like our natural bodies, weight gain in the spiritual realm causes us to make hasty decisions that ultimately sets us back on the road that God wants us to travel. While taking detours to our lives’ journey may prove to eventually lead us back to the main road, God desires that we live the life he created us to live, where His yoke is easy and where His burden is light. In other words we don’t have to be bogged down by the challenges of life or the heartaches that come with it; we just need to lay it aside. God asks us to cast ALL of our cares upon Him, that means everything that troubles or concerns us—we weren’t meant to carry the weight of this world, that’s why He sent His Son.

That’s right Christ came not only to rid us of sin, but also to ease us of the burdens we feel. Burdens, if carried long enough can literally break our backs, because our bodies just weren’t built to carry all that weight, so let us lose not only the weight, but also the sin that often accompanies it, so that we can move forward on the road God has paved just for us!

Today ask God to help you lose the weight!