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.   

Don’t Get Defeated by Distractions

Have you ever been playing with a dog, maybe throwing a ball for it to fetch – it chases after the ball, but then stops because something else has caught its eye? Or maybe you’re playing tug-of-war with it – the pup holds the toy in its teeth with an iron grip, until you distract it somehow so it loosens its grip and you can pull the toy away?

Many words that could describe our society these days, but that word immediately comes to my mind: Distracted. 

 

We’re got smartphones that seem to beg for our attention; we’re texting, sharing photos, or checking to make sure we haven’t missed something on social media. We go out to dinner and rather than enjoying conversations with our family members or friends, we sit there staring at our phones. I admit, sometimes guilty as charged. 

 

Then we’ve got our computers. When we’re not using them for work, we can access email and explore the unlimited treasures of the Internet. If we get bored with those, we can always resort to the longtime favorite – TV – which can effectively anesthetize our minds if we let it.

 

But there are other ways of getting distracted. Job demands can monopolize our concentration, drawing us away from cultivating and strengthening important relationships. Hobbies and pastimes are good, but they sometimes pull us away from responsibilities that need to be addressed.

 

Years ago, Charles Hummel wrote a little book called The Tyranny of the Urgent, in which he succinctly explains how the seemingly “urgent” can lure us away from what’s really important – and life seems to always present something urgent that needs our attention. While we’re busy with “urgent” things, more important matters get ignored.

 

I’ve read through Oswald Chambers’ excellent devotional book a number of times, and one phrase that always resonates is “good is the enemy of the best.” That’s often been helpful for me in evaluating various opportunities or choosing whether to take on one more activity. Is it something I really should do, or is it just a good thing that will take time away from doing what’s best?

 

Distractions can pose a real problem for our spiritual growth as well. Writing to his protégé, Timothy, the apostle Paul warned him about the dangers of becoming distracted: 

“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:3-5).

 

The book of Hebrews also speaks to the matter of distractions, or as it terms it, “drifting.” After reminding readers about their foundation of faith in Jesus Christ – “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3) – the author issues a warning: “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away…how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:1-3).

 

This problem arises repeatedly in the Scriptures, strong and committed believers becoming distracted by various concerns and beginning to drift away from the faith they have held so dear. We see it with Abram, Isaac, David, Solomon, Hezekiah and others in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, even the disciples drifted away for a time. One of them, Judas Iscariot, never returned.

 

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul gives this sad pronouncement about a man of whom he had spoken highly in another of his letters: “Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica” (2 Timothy 4:10). Can you imagine something like that being written about you?

 

So, the problem of drifting, becoming distracted by other things – even good ones – isn’t anything new. But it’s no less a danger for those of us who follow Christ in the 21^st century. As someone expressed Chambers’ sentiments in a similar manner, “a good thing, when it becomes the main thing, becomes a bad thing.”

It wouldn’t hurt to stop from time to time and assess whether we’re letting this happen to ourselves. Is my devotion to my Lord being diminished by allowing other things, even good things, become my primary focus? Am I living the victorious life in Christ that I’ve been promised, or am I unwittingly being defeated by distractions? Only through prayer and an open, humble heart can we answer that honestly. 

What’s Wrong with Being Good?

As a society, we seem fascinated with being good. We call infants that aren’t too fussy “good babies.” A well-behaved canine is known as a “good dog.” When people pass from this life, we like to describe them as a “good man” or “good woman.” We often refer to pro athletes that bounce from one team to another, as “good players.” So, being good is a good thing, right?

Isn't "good" good enough?

It is unless we have the choice between being good – and being great. In his classic book on business, Good to Great, Jim Collins discusses an extensive study comparing companies that were “good,” in terms of results produced over time, with companies that consistently achieved “great” performance for at least 15 years. His opening statement sums up his conclusion: “Good is the enemy of great.”

Without going into the factors he describes that transformed companies from good to great, Collins says, “Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just too easy to settle for a good life.” And therein lies the problem, the tendency to “settle” rather than strive for more than just good.

Oswald Chambers, in his devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest, takes a similar view. He states, “good is the enemy of the best.” However, he offers this idea in another context. There are many good things we can get involved with in life, Chambers observes, things that can consume our time, energy and resources. However, these can compete with the “best” things we could do, activities and pursuits we’re uniquely qualified, gifted – and even called – to pursue.

Whether we’re doing a job, running a company, parenting, or determining how to experience meaningful lives, the ability to distinguish good from great, or good from best, could make the difference in whether we experience life at its most fulfilling and rewarding.

Why is this important for followers of Jesus Christ? Because in knowing we’ve been made in the image of God, part of our universal calling is to reflect His character, including the excellence with which He created and orders everything around us. At the end of the creation account, the Lord inspected everything He made, “and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). He didn’t say it was just “okay,” or “not too bad,” but very good.

Similarly, in serving the Lord, we’re not to “settle” for less than the best we can do. As the apostle Paul exhorts in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” For emphasis, Paul restates this in another letter: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

In His parable of the talents, Jesus described how different servants chose to put into use the talents their master had entrusted to them. Of the servants who had used those resources wisely, Jesus said their master commended them with, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things…” (Matthew 25:23).

We’re unique, not only in our abilities but also in the gifts God has entrusted to us. The gifts I have and the calling God has given me probably doesn’t match your gifts and calling. So how we use our abilities and exercise our gifts, striving for excellence and choosing the best, rather than the merely “good,” will look different from one person to the next.

The key is found in found in Ecclesiastes 9:10, which tells us, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” If we’re spending considerable time, effort and resources in doing something we can’t give our very best – if “good” is the best we can do rather than “great” – then maybe we need to re-evaluate our commitment to it. If we’re not convinced we can do something for the glory of God, maybe it’s time to redirect our efforts, concentrating on pursuits where we can see God clearly at work through us.

Good is good, except when it keeps us from the best, or from being great at whatever we do.

How Can We Do Everything?

Years ago, a TV commercial showed a businessman sitting at his desk, talking on the telephone to his boss. Every few moments he would dutifully respond, “I can do that!” “I can do that!” However, when he hung up the phone, a quizzical look appeared on his face and he asked, “How am I going to do that?”

Do you ever feel that way? I have. It’s not unusual to commit to do more than we can realistically handle, even very good things, and wonder later, “Why did I commit to doing that?” For some reason, when asked to do something, it’s easier at first to say “Yes,” and then scratch our heads and wonder, “What was I thinking?”

Sometimes it’s because we don’t wish to let other people down. We want to please them, make them think well of us. If we say no, maybe they won’t like us. Or we overcommit out of guilt – we feel obligated or believe it’s a worthwhile request, so how can we possibly refuse?

Occasionally I still find myself in this type of situation, but reminders from my friend, Oswald Chambers, have helped a lot over the years. For more than 30 years I’ve read his devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest, almost daily. Chambers died 100 years ago, and yet I regard him as a friend because his wisdom has been so helpful. Among his insights are two statements that can greatly help in weighing opportunities that come our way.

One is simply that “a need does not constitute a call.” All around us are countless needs; but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a personal call for us to fulfill them. If a need is legitimate, someone should try to meet it, but that person might not be you – or me.

For instance, someone might need a faucet fixed or roof repaired. I may recognize that need, but being “mechanically challenged,” I realize I’m not the one to meet that need. At least if they want the job done right. My “help” would be finding someone with the necessary skills. However, if someone were to need help composing an important letter, or desperately desired a more experienced person as a mentor, those could be needs God was calling me specifically to meet.

A second statement Oswald made elaborates on the first, enabling us to discern which needs we indeed are called to address. In his book, several times he says, “Good is the enemy of the best.” Initially this sounds curious, but when you think about it, not so much.

I’ve used this advice for evaluating many opportunities, ranging from leadership roles to participating in special outings to providing writing and editing services for specific organizations. Any one of those things would be considered “good,” what someone should do. The question is, are they the “best” things for me to do, given my finite time and capacities?

The Scriptures declare we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). As such we each have a divinely ordained design and purpose – a distinctive mix of talents, gifts and passions from God. Some things we can perform with ease and enthusiasm; others grudgingly, only with extreme effort.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 tells us, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” And Colossians 3:23-24 admonishes us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Some brief jobs or tasks we might undertake because they must be done at that moment and there’s no one else available. But usually, if God has called us to do something, we’ll find joy in carrying it out – and in one way or another, bear fruit for eternity.

I’ll never forget the scene in the film, “Chariots of Fire,” when Eric Liddell’s sister confronts him about his insistence on training for the Olympics as a runner. Liddell, a Scotsman, affirms to her that he has no doubts about his call to mission work in China, but also observes, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast! And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

If, like Liddell, we sense “God’s pleasure” when busily engaged in something, we can feel confident we’ve accurately discerned what’s best from that which is merely good. Then we can truly do it with all our heart, as working for the Lord.

Perplexed By Priorities?

If variety is truly the spice of life, then 21^st century living is truly one spicy existence. There’s no end to the possibilities for spending, investing – or squandering – our waking hours. Between work, family responsibilities, community activities, and an ever-growing number of options for occupying “leisure” time, we each could easily fill a 48-hour day – if there were such a thing. Maybe Congress should enact that into law.

So much to do, so little time
in which to do it!

Young men being mentored often ask (or imply), “Can you help me with my priorities?” They’re getting started with careers, perhaps newly married or beginning a family, and find themselves overwhelmed with commitments and obligations. And that’s not even counting fun stuff they like to do (or used to do) – fishing, golf, video games, fantasy football, mud runs, attending sporting events, going to movies, etc. How’s a person to balance all those things?

Much of the time, juggling facets of everyday life seems like trying to find balance on an old-fashioned seesaw. Now you’re balanced – and then you’re not.

So what’s the answer? How can we remain true to our priorities when many demands and opportunities make the task so perplexing?

There’s no simple solution, but here are some considerations. For instance, what are your priorities? Do you even know? What’s most important to you? If it’s your career and achieving success, that will dominate your time. But at what cost, especially if you’re married and/or have children? Are you willing to sacrifice time – quantity and quality – with them to pursue career dreams?

On the other hand, if family relationships are paramount, prioritizing those will affect your handling of work demands and aspirations. If acquiring wealth is your focus, it’s bound to impact other areas of your life. Because there’s a cost to making money. As Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and mammon (money)” (Matthew 6:24). In other words, decide what your priorities are.

There are other considerations as well. For instance, whether at church or in an organization you belong to, there are always projects to be done – and somebody needs to do them. Is that somebody you? If you decide it’s not, do you still find it difficult to say no? Maybe you’re reluctant to disappoint the person who asks you, or afraid they’ll think less of you if you decline.

I’m an avid reader of Oswald Chambers’ writings, and one of his recurring statements is helpful: “A need doesn’t constitute a call.” In other words, just because something must be done doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the one to do it. The church might need singers in the choir, but if you can’t carry a tune in the shower, don’t feel badly about not volunteering. However, if there is something you’re well-suited to do, whether it’s working with children, doing repair work, or mentoring adults, that need might be calling you.

Another consideration is the level of commitment required. If you desire to excel at playing a musical instrument, for example, it won’t do to practice only 15 minutes a week. If you have want to compete in and complete a triathlon, you better be willing to devote many hours – every week for months – running, cycling and swimming. Either that or you’ll start something you have no chance of finishing.

Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer has said, “Because of our limitations on time and energy, it is difficult to be completely dedicated to a large number of endeavors.” If you want to be a champion in one pursuit, you’ll have to neglect or ignore a host of other alternatives.

Os Chambers also wrote, “Good is the enemy of the best.” There are many good things we can do, but what are the best things, those we’re most qualified, experienced and gifted to do? Why attempt to be a jack-of-all-trades when you can become a master of one?

A couple of important principles have guided me in coping with the perplexities of competing priorities. One is to recognize for whom I’m ultimately doing things. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). Is it acceptable to give God a half-hearted effort, or second best? No. At least not for me. So I’d better be certain I’m doing what He would want me to do, and then do it as well as I can, to please Him foremost.

And to avoid the procrastinator in me, another passage reminds me not only to pursue what I’m doing with gusto, but also to do it when the opportunity presents itself: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Why postpone to a tomorrow we might never see?

It’s still not easy to resolve the problem of too much to do in too little time. But knowing and pursuing our bedrock priorities is a step toward determining what we should be doing with the time we have - and what things are little more than distractions.

The Time of Your Life

We sometimes hear people exclaim, “I’m having the time of my life!” I’ve probably said that myself a time or two, but what does it really mean?

Figuratively it refers to having much enjoyment, maybe more than we can ever remember. But when have you heard someone say, “I’m not having the time of my life”? In reality, like it or not, “the time of our life” is now, this very moment. What happened even one second ago is already locked into the past, and we can’t live in the future – until it arrives in the present, at which time it ceases to be the future, strangely enough.

Not to get too philosophical, but time is important to all of us. And as we get older, we learn to value time even more since there’s more of it behind us and less of it ahead of us in this life. When we were children, time seemed to move at a snail’s pace, especially when awaiting a special event, like summer vacation or Christmas. Now it seems to pass at racetrack speed.

In the newspaper business, I found time often defined by deadlines: getting articles written, photos taken and pages designed on time for going to press. Time literally was money, with presses idling and well-paid pressmen poised to print the publication. So we all felt the pressure of time.

When I moved into the business world I was introduced to “time management,” which is a misnomer. We can’t manage time any more than we can manage the wind. Unlike saving money or storing food for a future emergency, time can’t be set aside for later consumption. Time comes and goes with relentless precision, one second, one minute, one hour at a time.

The Bible says there is a time for
everything.  Our challenge is to know
which time is right.

Although we can’t control or slow time’s passage, we can determine how our time is utilized. We can set priorities, determining which things must be done and distinguishing those from other things that might be nice to do, but aren’t essential. As Oswald Chambers would say, conceding “good is the enemy of the best.” Or distinguishing the important from the tyrannical urgent.

In our leisure hours we can read thought-provoking books, play challenging games, and engage in stimulating conversations. Or we can fritter away minutes and hours watching meaningless TV programming or listen to continual radio talk show chatter, our minds becoming sponges for media clutter. We can pursue a productive hobby, participate in regular exercise, and nurture our spiritual life. Or we can squander time by eating and drinking more than we need, sleeping more than we should, spending more than we ought, and procrastinating like champions.

We also can “manage time” by cherishing opportunities we have with loved ones, recognizing those can’t be reclaimed at some later date. I suspect when beloved friends and family members pass away, a part of our grieving is regret over “wouldas, shouldas and couldas” forever lost.

God, who created time, speaks of it a lot in the Scriptures. Psalm 90:12, for example, suggests we ask God to “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” If you knew today – or this week – were your last, would you continue with your plans for this day?

Ecclesiastes 3:1 declares, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Many of the things we purpose to do, those activities we spend much time planning, are good. But when’s the best time for pursuing them? And when should we stop doing some of the things that have been taking up too much of our time?

And Ephesians 5:16 speaks of “making the most of your time (redeeming it), because the days are evil.” Time, as they say, has a stealthy habit of slipping away when we’re not paying attention. Then we wish wistfully, “If only I had more time.”

Even in a clock, watch or calendar shop, we can’t purchase or acquire more time. But we can “manage” it by appreciating the time we have and utilizing it, better yet – investing it – in ways that will pay dividends both immediate and long-term.

We’re still early in the new year. It would be great if instead of bemoaning at year end, “Where has the time gone?” we could smile and think, “I know exactly where the time has gone. And I believe it’s been well-spent.” It’s good to stop and smell the roses, as long as we don’t become consumed by the weeds.