Letting Unnecessary Burdens Weigh You Down

Have you ever seen an Olympic runner, whether a sprinter or long-distance competitor, wearing a backpack filled with books and snacks? Or carrying a suitcase? No, unless you happened to see them entering a hotel or getting off a bus at the competition venue. Certainly not while competing on the track. 

 

The reason is obvious. The additional baggage wouldn’t just be clumsy to handle; it also would weigh down the competitors and have a decidedly negative impact on both their speed and endurance.

We find this true for athletes competing in other sports as well. Male swimmers, for example, might remove hair from their chests, arms and legs, seeking to make themselves as sleek as possible, unencumbered by unnecessary weight or resistance as they churn through the water.

 

Why is it that athletes are so keenly aware of encumbrances that could weigh them down, while many of us stumble through life with burdens we were never intended to carry?

 

The Bible refers to them as entanglements, factors of many kinds that can hinder us from experiencing life as God intended for it to be. In Hebrews 12:1, believers are exhorted, “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.”

 

If anyone ever told you that what we commonly refer to as “the Christian life” is easy, here’s the truth: They lied. We live in a tough, sin-ravaged world with many influences seeking to lure us away God’s commands and standards for living. Even in the best circumstances, we’re going to face challenges and various forms of adversity, just like anyone else on this big ball called Earth. Why would we want to wrestle with additional baggage?

 

As the apostle Paul admonished his protégé, Timothy, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4).

 

What are these entanglements the Scriptures are talking about? They can be sins of many kinds, ranging from the mundane to the hardcore. Anything that directs us away from God rather than toward Him. The book of Galatians cites a number of them: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21).

 

Reading this list, each of us can probably point to specific sins – hopefully most of them – and say, “Well, I’m not guilty of that!” But chances are very good that at least a couple of the behaviors mentioned strike a chord. Have you ever observed or experienced hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, self-ambition, or envy, even within the church?

 

Suppose we’ve succeeded somehow in avoiding every one of those sins, although it’s unlikely. That doesn’t mean we’re totally unencumbered. Entanglements also can be good things that hinder us from pursuing things that are best for us. As Oswald Chambers points out in his devotional writings, “Good is the enemy of the best.” 

 

Maybe you’re someone who has a problem saying “No” when asked to do something. Trying not to hurt someone’s feelings, or inclined to be a “pleaser,” you find yourself overcommitted and overwhelmed by obligations that leave you frazzled, frustrated, and anything but free to pursue those things God has uniquely equipped you to do.

 

Or it might be one or more of the many distractions that compete for attention in our 21^st century world – TV, social media, video games, phone apps. They’re not necessarily wrong; but even if they’re entertaining, are they merely good things keeping us away from concentrating on the best?

 

Thinking again of Paul’s soldier metaphor, warriors on the front lines are not the guys running the mess hall or keeping track of the supplies. They’re not staying in close contact with their stockbrokers, looking up last night’s ball scores, or checking the TV listings. They don’t let themselves get entangled with matters not directly related to the battle in front of them. 

 

One time Jesus Christ was confronted by the Pharisees, prominent religious leaders who were seeking to entrap Him for making what they consider “blasphemous” claims. Refusing to beat around the bush, Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). 

 

Jesus was speaking of how He came to offer eternal life and a life-transforming relationship with God. However, it’s not a stretch to understand He was also referring to an abundant life lived free of entanglements that impede us from experiencing all the Lord can offer us in this life, as well as the next. 

Next time we find ourselves wrestling with a sin that takes our focus away from God, or making unwise commitments, or wasting time with high-tech distractions, maybe we should imagine an Olympic marathon runner plodding toward the finish line weighed down by a backpack filled with extra running shoes, water bottles and other gear. A marathon – whether it’s a race or a lifetime – is difficult enough without unnecessary entanglements.