ON THE VANGUARD

WEIGHTS
"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."
Hebrews 12:1

I read the testimony this week of Jennifer Brindley, founder of Rise Up! Ministries. She was talking about how she came to know Christ and her decision to start a health program. My attention was caught when I read, "mental weights are heavier than the physical weight." Now while I do not consider myself obese, I will share that I am about 15 pounds over the advised for my height and weight. However, I know that I am overweight when it comes to my mental weight.
The Bible tells us in this passage that we are to put off the weights that hinder us and the sin that entangles us so that we can run the race. For me, my biggest weight is my self esteem. Growing up I have always felt love from my parents and family, but from others it has always been a different story. I have had many experiences with rejection that have defined my life and given me the negative memories I find myself still trying to heal from. With this pain, I have also put dreams and desires on the shelf, or been extreemly cautious in making them come true. If you have followed this blog from the start, you know that my desires have included being a pastor and writing books. Yet I find that my biggest struggle is myself, and believing that my desires are God's desires, and as a result, that they will come true.
There are many testimonies of people like me who have overcome their past. Maybe their struggles were rejection and divorce like me, or other struggles associated to abuse, financial hardship, or bad family life. Either way, God still wants us to handle it the same way. To throw it off. I am reminded of Gideon who considered himself the runt of the family, yet was used by God to do something mighty. Perhaps you and I feel like we are the runts. It is time for us to throw off that mentality and believe who we are in Christ. It is impossible to run this race with perseverance when our mind is not focused on God.
In closing, I received an email today in response to a question I posed to a fellow dvorced friend. I asked what methods and scriptures she was holding to in these tough times of being recently divorced. And here is her response that goes beyond just a divorced person, but to the depth of overcoming weights. "I am walking with God because He is the light. If there are tunnels, He will be my beacon." Tunnels and dark spots in life are always going to be present. But let us walk with God so that these mental weights will cease holding us down.