To run well, we set aside what weighs us down and keep going.
“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 (KJV)
What does “Laying aside” mean in Hebrews 12:1?
The writer pictures the Christian life as a race, watched by a great cloud of witnesses from earlier generations. He tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin that clings closely.
Going deeper
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 11 has just listed people of faith from Abel to the prophets. Their example surrounds us. They ran, and now we run. The writer gives two instructions: get rid of what slows us, and run with endurance.
Notice that he separates weights from sins. A weight might be something not wrong in itself, such as a habit, a commitment, or a distraction, that slows us down. Sin is what clings and trips us. Runners do not carry extra baggage. Ask yourself what is weighing you down. It might be worry, overcommitment, or an old grudge. Choose one thing to lay aside this week. Then keep running at a steady pace. The race is long, and you are not alone in it.
Reflect
What weight or habit could you lay aside this week to run more freely?
Pray
Lord, help me to lay aside what slows me down and to run with patience the race set before me. Keep my eyes on You. In Jesus' name, amen.
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