Two men were riding on a tandem bike going up a steep hill. They were panting and perspiring for all they were worth as they neared the top of the hill.
The first man said, “That was a tough climb.”
The second man said, “It certainly was. And if I hadn’t kept the brake on, we would have slid down that hill backwards.”
A lot of times this is the way we live our spiritual lives. We have things in our lives that our holding us back from moving forward in our relationship with God.
Throw off everything that hinders your spiritual progress
It could be a person or persons.
It could be a bad habit.
It could be a bad job.
It could be something secular that hinders the sacred part of our lives.
Now the hindrances themselves are not necessarily the bad things. However, they will keep us from the best things.
The runner in training will use weights. Weights build strength, but hinder progress in the race itself.
A baseball player will practice swing with a weight on his bat, but when it comes time to bat, the weight is laid aside.
We need to be able to discern the difference between what really is needed and what is not.
In Jules Verne’s novel The Mysterious Island, he tells of five men who escape a Civil War prison camp by hijacking a hot air balloon.
As they rise into the air, they realize the wind is carrying them over the ocean. Watching their homeland disappear on the horizon, they wonder how much longer the balloon can stay aloft.
As the hours pass and the surface of the ocean draws closer, the men decide they must cast overboard some of the weight, for they had no way to heat the air in the balloon.
Shoes, overcoats, and weapons are reluctantly discarded, and the uncomfortable aviators feel their balloon rise.
But only temporarily.
Soon they find themselves dangerously close to the waves again, so they toss their food. Better to be high and hungry than drown on a full belly!
Unfortunately, this, too, is only a temporary solution, and the craft again threatens to lower the men into the sea.
One man has an idea: they can tie the ropes that hold the passenger car and sit on those ropes. Then they can cut away the basket beneath them.
As they sever the very thing they had been standing on, it drops into the ocean, and the balloon rises. Not a minute too soon, they spot land.
Eager to stand on terra firma again, the five jump into the water and swim to the island.
They live, spared because they were able to discern the difference between what really was needed and what was not.
The “necessities” they once thought they couldn’t live without were the very hindrances/weights that almost cost them their lives.
Letting go of what hinders us will enable us to give God our undivided attention.
We must throw off everything that hinders us if we want to continue to move forward in our walk with God. If we don’t we are in danger of engaging in many good things but missing the best things. We can quickly be diverted and drawn away from the blessings God desires for us!
What do you need to let go of right now that is hindering your spiritual progress?
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So very true. God is the most important person in our lives, yet we put Him way behind everything and everyone else. We allow greed, fame, fortune work etc to come in the way of our relationship with God.
I think because we know He’s forgiving, we try Him over and over again. We can’t run well with baggage. We won’t enter a race with a back pack on our backs. Yet we try to run with God with all the baggages that weigh us down.
Thanks for a very inspirational post.
Great points Anne!
Thanks for sharing!
As I read this, I was reminded of Mary and Martha and Jesus’ words that “only one thing is needed.” If we choose Him and ministering to Him, it won’t be taken away from us. This reminder is definitely where I am today so this is the perfect confirmation for me, Kevin. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing Jason!
Writing in a journal not only is therapeutic, but it also can improve your creativity.
Thanks for sharing!
What a very inspiring post! Indeed, we usually thought that some things that help us get through the day are actually the ones that hinder our progress. I have had some friends back in college – some are great, some not so. While there are classmates who help each other through their studies, there are others who only take advantage of others (by copying their homework, not contributing on team projects, not participating in the chapel choir even though they said they would attend, etc.). Those kinds of classmates are the ones weighing you down in your progress of academic and spiritual pursuits.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and adding to the discussion Felicia!
One foot on the gas … One foot on the brake … makes for a good workout but neither the distance not the efficiency we desire (and are capable of!). Great biking analogy Kevin!
Like the men in your air balloon story though… it can be freakin scary to toss aside the things we feel we need… in order to have the thing we must never lose!
Thanks for this great reminder!
Kim
Thanks for sharing Kimberly!
Keeping a spiritual journal is a great way to keep track and monitor your progress on the spiritual path.
Thanks for sharing Laura!
I calendar all my activities and I limi my priorities in my worldly life so to gave enough time to spiritual duties minding not those hindrances.
That a great discipline Hanna!
Thanks for sharing.
Amen Kevin, Paul said “this one thing I do . . .” How would the power and effectiveness of the Church change if more of us who spend weekends in a church had his mindset.
Thanks for sharing Tim!