Throw of the hindrances
"Throw off the hindrances and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." Hebrews 12:1

First of all, the race is set out before us. Life is a race. There is a start and there is a finish. We can crawl, walk, skip, jog or sprint but it is a race. Not a race against mankind but rather a race toward the grand finish. God built us, created us and breathed life into us for a reason. It isn't 9-5, pay your taxes, raise your kids, do a few good works, retire and die. No, there is so much more. He calls us to a race. Race implies so much here - endurance, training, excellence, reaching for more than we thought we could possibly achieve - all for a life that is fully lived.

The message is pretty simple and pretty direct - there is a race to be run and we must throw off the hindrances that entangle us and prevent us from the full life. Throw off the hindrances.

What hinders you?

As I type this, I am watching the Super Bowl. That is entertainment and many of us are addicted to being entertained. Some advertisements tonight will cost $2 million. Can you imagine spending $2 million for 30 seconds of air time? Think what good $2 million would do for 50 families living in poverty. Think how many kids this money could send to college. Think of those with living under the bridges of the Chattahoochee and how this money could help them. But no, we Americans are addicted to entertainment and pleasure and corporate America knows it. They'll spend what it takes to make you and I act. And act we will.

We have come to worship entertainment. It robs us of life and pulls us away from interaction with others. 4-5 hours a day in front of the TV or internet and kids in front of electronic games. These things rob us of life. Go spend one hour in the woods totally alone. Take a chair and sit down with nothing to do. See how it challenges you. Does the silence bother you? Are you addicted to noise and activity? Recreation is OK - we need it but too much recreation can be a problem. Excess recreation leads to addiction which leads to gluttony.

We all know of people who have taken this addiction to the next step of gluttony. New cars every year, flat screens in every room, every latest gadget, fine wines and foods, every possible comfort -- all seeking that one last final thing that completes them. We know people like that and we know we are like this. We know in many ways that our addiction for comfort and things is a hinderance to our walk with God.

Hebrews is telling us how to handle whatever it is that hinders us from running the race as efficiently as we should - we should throw them off. If our love of things possesses us, we need to stop. Simply put...just stop. Stop the rapid acquisition of everything we can get our hands on. Be the opposite of what drives us - start giving things away rather than buying more new things. Think counter-intuitively. The world tells you (yells at you) more, more, more it is all about more stuff. That is the wrong kind of more.

The more we need is more of the Lord. More quiet time. Less hindrances and more of Him. It is pretty simple but it is hard to do but remember, we are running a race. We are born to run. Born to be free.

Soar!