Running on Empty: A 7-Day Journey of Strength and EnduranceNäide

If you’ve ever watched an Olympic runner, you know they don’t carry extra weight. No backpack. No boots. No unnecessary layers. They strip down to the essentials so they can run without resistance. But most of us wouldn’t dream of running a race with a literal cinder block in our arms. So why do we so often carry things God never asked us to hold?

Hebrews 12 gives us this clear instruction: strip off the weight. Let go of what slows you down. That includes the sins we often struggle with, but it also includes the distractions, fears, and shame of everyday life. The only way to run our race well is by keeping our eyes on Jesus—not the pace of the people next to us, not the pressure of the crowd, just Jesus.

You don’t have to run alone, and you don’t have to run perfectly. You just have to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, who ran before you and who runs with you now.

Pray: Jesus, I’m tired of carrying things I wasn’t meant to hold. Help me see what’s slowing me down. Help me drop the weight, lift my eyes, and keep running with you. Amen.