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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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2a).

When we moved to New York, we had to learn how to layer our clothing when we went out during the wintertime. Though this skill still proves necessary one or two days a year in North Carolina, we are glad to have mostly left it behind when we moved south.

Layering always made everything more challenging. Limited arm movement made driving difficult. I had to turn my whole body if I was walking and somebody called out to me from the other side of the street. Every time I went into a store, I had to decide if I would remove a layer, how I was going to carry it and whether keeping it on would make me more prone to knocking something over. 

If I happened to be in New York City, there was the added challenge of the subway system. Would the station be incredibly hot or freezing cold? How about the subway car? Forget about getting anywhere quickly. Anything above a brisk walking pace was impossible.

Layering made the mundane a significant undertaking! Can you tell how much I disliked it?

Our passage this week invites us to remember the great cloud of witnesses and to fix our eyes on Jesus in order to stay the course and persevere in life. These are habits to embrace for a lifetime. 

But we are not just invited to embrace. We are also invited to dispose of some things. Actually, it’s more than some things. We are invited to throw off everything that keeps us from wholeheartedly following Jesus, whether those things are clearly sinful or not. If it threatens our ability to persevere in faith or causes our attention to stray from Jesus, we are to throw it off. Much like layers made everything more challenging for me in the New York winters, those things make loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, strength, and our neighbors as ourselves more difficult than it already might be for some of us.

I’ve talked before about how success was really important to me. Well, I carried that with me when I became a Christian. It was a layer I had on and I resisted throwing it off because I was afraid I’d lose the satisfaction of achievement, the gladness of being recognized for doing things well, and, honestly, the compensation that comes with success. It weighed me down and made key decisions when I graduated college more difficult than they needed to be.

As the years passed after I finally threw that layer off, what I experienced was that Jesus always provided what I needed and that the success that has come has been more enjoyable. Every time I’ve thrown a hindering layer off, my love for God and people has increased as has my joy in life. My prayer is that I’ll remember that the next time I realize there’s another layer that’s hindering me.

As you run the race marked out for you, how free or hindered do you feel? Spend some time praying as you ask God to give you a more accurate picture of your running.

In light of that picture, what might you need to throw off? Can you commit that in prayer to God? Spend some time doing so now.

Lastly, pray to fix your eyes on Jesus and ask him for the encouragement you need to run unencumbered.