Cut It Out

This past week I underwent surgery to cut out the pre-patellar bursa in my right knee. For those of you who do not know what the bursa is, it is a sac of fluid that protect the knee cap and allows for the skin to slide smoothly over the knee cap. The bursa in my right knee has been inflamed for sometime and has hindered my mobility, particularly in the athletic arena. I was not able to lift, condition, or recover the way that I wanted to. It was slowing me down, keeping me from being all that I was capable of being. So, the doctors went in and cut this bursa out of my right knee. Once it recovers, the knee will be as good as new. Throughout this process, God has really been speaking to me. Telling me something that i really need to hear.

Hebrews 12:1 ".... Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Much like the bursa was setting me back from training from football, sin sets us back from running the race of Faith in our lives. Look at the metaphor that Jesus presents here. He uses the words weight and ensnares with run, endurance, and race. These words do not go together. You see who runs an endurance race with an extra 10 pounds on their back? Who goes and runs with snares set up along the path? Nodody that I know of. Most people run when they are as light as they possibly can be, and along a path that is as free of hazards as they can possibly make it.

Why do we treat or spiritual lives differently? We burden ourselves with doubt, worry, fear, guilt, shame, money, relationships, the world. We get caught up in the snares of sin such as lust, gossip, cussing, etc. We say that we a running toward God with all of hearts but how is that so when we are so weighed down and trapped that we can do nothing but barely take a step. We need to Cut It Out to "lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily ensnares us." Why? Because then we can run towards God with all that we have. We will not be weighed down by all of the extra stuff that means nothing at all. We will not be caught up in our sins that separate us from God. We will be "Running to his arms" where "the riches of his love will always be enough."

What is weighing you down friend? What is the sin to so easily ensnares you? I pray to we all have the courage to lay these things aside and run towards God with all that we have. Is it going to be easy? Heck no, but I know that it is going to be worth it. Let's make it our personal goal to run towards God with all that we have, leaving behind "every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us."

Matthew 11: 29-30 "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.