Something happens inside my heart when I watch my kids run. I don’t know why, but I feel such a sense of satisfaction when I see them running and playing carefree outside. I will take them for a walk, and as they run ahead of me, I see their blond hair bobbing up and down and hear their contagious giggles rising up to the sky. A smile runs across my face – and I feel content and at peace. There’s almost a sense of, “This is why they were created – to run. No worries. No cares. Just run.”
There is a scripture in the Bible that talks about such a sensation. Hebrews 12: 1-3 states:
“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. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
God truly has created us to run – run without hindrance or entanglements. That’s the way He designed us. But the worries of this world, especially nowadays, can entangle us, and our sinful desires can weigh us down. Sometimes I can feel these weights in my life. I know I am carrying a burden that He has not designed me to carry. And what seems like daily now, I have to mentally picture myself running in the manner which I see my children run. I picture that same parental smile of contentment on God’s face when I release my burdens to Him.
Did you ever see the movie Forrest Gump? When that boy starts to run with his braces on his legs, he is encumbered. But as he runs in faith, those entanglements around his legs break loose and he is free to run. And run he does … he never stops. It’s his gift from God. Forrest couldn’t take those braces off himself – it was a supernatural act where God released him from the “shackles” of the braces around his legs. There are days when I know I am running this race with what seems like heavy metal braces around my legs. It is uncomfortable, and tiring, and I wonder if I am making any progress. But I know that as I continue to run, that God is pulling for me, and the cloud of witnesses around me is cheering me on. I know I can’t remove these braces myself – I just have to keep running, and let God remove them as I surrender my pain, discouragement, betrayal, frustrations, and sin at His feet. But God is faithful to remove my hindrances as long as I don’t hang on to them.
My problem, though, is that my shoelaces seem to keep getting untied as I run (i.e., I worry.)
If my kids were constantly tripping over their shoe laces, I would not be smiling as I watch them run. Instead, I’d immediately stop them and tie their shoes so they could run. God is the same way in our lives. He is the one who makes us carefree in our pursuit of Him and His call on our lives. He stops us in our clumsy pursuit, slows us down, ties our shoes, and sends us off again.
So now, I’ve gotten smarter. When I am really concerned about something, I just ask God to tie a triple-knot of faith so that I don’t trip on the journey. With each loop, Jesus reveals His Word to me, assuring me that with Him nothing is impossible and that I truly can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
So, how many knots do you need in your shoelaces? The good news is that God is the ultimate Dad, and He can tie as many knots as you need!
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