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Starting the Year Right

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kindergarten

“A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge” – Thomas Carlyle

I will never forget my first day of kindergarten. I wore my favorite ruffly dress that twirled nicely, my hair in pigtails, and clutched my favorite pink doll tightly. I was excited and terrified all at once.

I was eager to learn and even more eager to be liked by my classmates. Thankfully, the first face to greet me that morning was my teacher, Ms. Neal. Ms. Neal was one of those people created to make small people feel significant, loved, and happy.We were a group of over twenty kids, but Ms. Neal made us all feel special. And there was nothing that we wanted more than to see her smile and sense her approval of our oddly-cut shapes or wobbly-written letters. And approval she gave – loads of it.

Over thirty years later, my brother, a Delta pilot, returned to sit in the back of her classroom just to watch Ms. Neal work her magic. The children quietly sat in their places, raised their hands, respecting her and each other.How did she do it? How did she inspire five year old children to listen to her, respect each other, and most importantly to love learning?

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5 Running Tips for Your Spiritual Race

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5 Running Tips
As a runner, I know what it’s like to run in all sorts of conditions – rain, wind, freezing cold, burning heat. There’s this crazy thing about runners – most of the time our desire to run outweighs the obstacles we might face in doing so. But sometimes, we face challenges that can become so burdensome, we are tempted to call it quits.

As followers of Christ, we may start our race with enthusiasm and energy. Our eyes on our Lord, we know where we are headed and who we are running towards. But for each of us, at some point along our path, we can pick up unnecessary burdens and weights that hinder our progress.

Lay Aside the Weight

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Here are 5 questions to ask yourself that can keep you from getting tripped up on your spiritual journey:

1) Let us lay aside every weight…What holds me back or hinders me from seeking Christ in my day to day life?

2) And the sin which clings so closely….What has the power to easily entice or seduce me? What areas of sin in my life won’t let go without a fight?

3) And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…Are we prepared to journey with Christ for the long haul? Have we forgotten that the Christian life is not a sprint, but a marathon?

4) Looking to Jesus….Do we keep our eyes on Jesus? Or are they more focused on CNN? Facebook? our spouse? our friends? ourselves?

5) The founder and perfecter of our faith….Have we forgotten where our faith came from in the first place? Can we trust Him to help us lay down our weights today?

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Consider Your Answers

When you answered the above questions, what did you discover? What burdens have held you back spiritually that you need to cast off, once and for all?

What sins have skillfully surrounded and beset your life to the point where they have choked your spiritual progress?

And are your eyes on Jesus? Life is full of distractions and voices beckoning us to “Look over here!” It takes discipline and devotion to resist those voices and say, “I have already found my purpose, thank you very much – and I’m keeping my eyes on Him!”

Come before Christ and His Cross today – where you can lay every burden down. And walk the road before you a little lighter now – perhaps with a spring in your step.