Hebrews 12:1 KJV Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

I have been privileged in my life to have traveled quite a bit. Just about every year I end up on a plane flying to a conference, mission trip, or my favorite… family vacation! With all the new regulations and fees involved in air travel, I have learned the art of packing my carry-on with precision and purpose. If possible, I try not to check my bags for the flight. I prefer to take them with me and store them in the overhead. I like having my stuff with me, and I love not having to wait for my bag at the carousel.

There are times, no matter how prepared and ready I am, when the gate attendant will inform me that the flight is full, and there will not be enough room in the overhead bins for everyone’s luggage. This is frustrating as I am handed the dreaded pink tag to check my bag at the gate. Now, I know that this is not a big deal, but to me, I like hanging onto my stuff! I feel like I was prepared; I arrived on time. Why do I have to surrender my bag?

This same type of thing happens when we let certain situations and circumstances, that in most cases are beyond our control, take over our lives. Sometimes things happen to us for which we do not plan. Hurts, offenses, betrayals, and abandonments can and will happen in life. At some point, mistakes, bad decision, selfishness, and sins will cause every one of us to steer off course. Often, when we have drifted from where we need to be, the trouble is in how we handle the baggage we have now acquired. Bad decisions have consequences; offenses bring hurts and pain. Hanging on to excessive baggage will prevent you from getting where you need to be.

I believe this is what the writer of Hebrews was talking about when he told us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us”. There are times when we must let go of the baggage to move forward. Hanging on to it will continue to keep you off course and prevent you from reaching your destination. Overcoming the temptation to hang on is, in fact, overcoming human nature. Every one of us has the potential to be our own worst enemy!

Although I do not like checking my luggage at the gate, my desire to reach my final destination is more important that hanging onto it. It is time to let some things go. Some hurts, hiccups, and hang-ups are not worth forfeiting your final destination. Lay them aside, and let’s run this race together with Jesus!