Sunday God Meets Monday MomUkázka

My 21-month-old broke her leg at a trampoline park. For the next three weeks, she wore a heavy cast from her tiny toes up to her chunky thigh. The first day with the cast, she was so frustrated at her immobility. She could sit up, and that was the extent of her movement. She wanted that cast off so she could run around with her sisters again.

By the next day, she was sliding herself across the floor on her belly in a “living dead” style. By the third day, she was pulling up to a standing position on furniture, and by day four with a cast, she took her first tentative steps across the room lugging that bulky mass along with her.

She is very independent, and her favorite phrase when I try to help is, “I got it.” I can only imagine what activities she will hobble through in another two and a half weeks. She may forget the freedom of effortless movement before the cast.

READ

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, NIV)

APPLY

Humans have an incredible capacity for resilience and adaptability. It is our strength and our weakness. When something in life threatens to slow us down, we innovate and power through. We cling to our independence and say, “I got it.”

Unfortunately, some of what we learn to live with should actually be cast off (no pun intended). We layer on minor sins, allowing them to stay as we make justifications for why they aren’t so bad. They collect and weigh us down. They limit our ability to move and muffle God’s voice. We are so proud of what we can still accomplish despite our entanglements that we forget what true freedom feels like.

My daughter may have figured out how to be mobile with a giant cast on her leg, but she can never run a race with it on. It must come off, and the sooner the better, in order for her to regain full mobility.

It is the same with the sin in our lives, whether we label them big or small. Criticism, comparison, gossip, pride, and pettiness handicap us in our race. They distract our focus from Christ and distort our view of what is important. If we are serious about running for Christ, everything that slows us down has to go.

PRAY

Father, I am sorry for how I have made excuses for the sin in my life. I’m sorry for the energy that I have wasted trying to make life work without having to leave that sin behind. Show me what I need to cast aside in order to follow You wholeheartedly, and give me the discipline to do the hard work of following through. Thank You for the freedom You offer and for giving me the strength to choose You.

REFLECT

What sin do I need to cast off this week?