Easier Traveling!

This past Tuesday our youngest son (age 26) joined me for a climb up Mt. Townsend in the Olympic mountain range of our state of Washington. We had made the climb last year only to take pictures of clouds, each other in the fog, and the survey marker at the top to prove we’d been there. The clouds and fog kept us from getting the views and pictures of the world below. However, this year we were able to get a clear panoramic view of the whole area. What an awesome part of God’s beautiful creation! I even got a couple pictures of a small airplane flying below us. It was like being on top of the world, well worth the four mile climb up and four miles back, plus little excursions to some other peaks for pictures.

The next day -- as I was back into the office and my regular routines -- my walking around town felt like a breeze. My feet almost felt like they were flying compared to the previous day’s mountain trek. What was different? When I hike -- besides all my camera gear -- I tend to over-pack just in case there is a severe weather change, a delay, or some other problem encountered. On this trek I never pulled out even close to half the stuff packed in my backpack. I still had more than half the food I’d packed and lots of water when we returned, though with the sunshiny day (which provided the glorious views) I did drink a lot of water. Walking around town, even up some of our steeper streets, my walking felt almost effortless because I was NOT CARRYING THE WEIGHT of the day before. It was not there to hinder or slow my progress.

Reflecting on all this as I walked to the post office, then home to check e-mail, and back to my office again, I thought of the following exhortation from Hebrews.

“(1) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also LAY ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT, AND SIN WHICH CLINGS SO CLOSELY, and let us RUN WITH ENDURANCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US, (2) looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” ( Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

How much of yesterday is still being carried on our back? There is no need for us to walk hindered by the past or the weight of sin. Let us CAST OFF that heavy pack -- looking to Jesus as the One who has made possible the lifting of the weight of the guilt of sin from us -- so that we can run the course God has set before us without hindrance. With His help in the battle against sin we can remain on top of the world.

Have a great day WALKING UNHINDERED IN CHRIST!
Carl

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