‘As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us.’
As a leader who has been in the saddle for many years, the call to finish well comes clear and loud through these verses from Hebrews 12 TPT. What other translations nebulously refer to as ‘encumbrances’ or ‘weights’, TPT more specifically calls wounds that have pierced us, and adds a note of helpful detail that says; ‘Or “every arrow tip in us”. The implication is carrying an arrow tip inside, a wound that weighs us down and keeps us from running the race with freedom.
I can see that this is something that so easily happens. Many boomers are walking wounded. We carry unresolved pain and wounds, literally arrow tips, that hinder us from running the kind of race we ran so fearlessly in our youth. Instead of continuing to hold up a flame to kindle the hearts of the next generation, many of us have either succumbed to the seductive pull of comfortable Christendom or settled into a cynical critique of earlier experiences that serves to protect our hearts (and pockets) from taking further risks for the Kingdom.
Allowing for the obvious elements of ageing, most boomers have a reasonably high level health capacity, such as earlier generations would definitely envy. We probably have healthy capital in most areas; intellectual resources, social networks and of course financial capital.
But something has hamstrung many boomers spiritual capital. We don’t have what it takes to throw all our faith on Jesus to do what we saw him do in earlier days. We have lived in hope for something that we didn’t see happen and now many languish from a sickness that the bible refers to as ‘hope deferred’.
Im guessing that unhealed wounds (literally arrow tips) have hindered our capacity to run the race. That somewhere in our history are old church wounds or old father wounds that for whatever reason we have found too difficult to bring for healing, and which are now like old scars that we feel are so much a part of us that they are unlikely to be healed even if we were to decide we wanted rid of them. We have found our way towards a more sedentary lifestyle and have told ourselves that we deserve the time and space to enjoy ourselves and to be served by others.
Of course there is always a need to adjust as we age, to embrace our limitations and to bring about changes that allow for these. But don’t be fooled. The wounds that hinder us can easily become the things that we embrace. We adapt to our limp. We turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the Kairos moments of invitation and challenge that come our way. We can easily end up hardening our hearts toward the King and his Kingdom. We refuse to let go of the weights that encumber us.
Take a moment to reflect. Am I free of all bitterness? Am I free from all resentment, anger or pride? Have I let go of every offence? Have I forgiven those that have sinned against me? (One test of this is do I react sharply when someone turns over an old stone).
And is my faith able to rise once more to face the coming King and his Kingdom?
Proverbs 24:16 states, “For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity”. The proverb implies that we may all fall or be taken down by sin, but what defines a righteous man is that he will get up and go again. Not just once or twice, but 7 times! Im sure Jesus would add ‘even 70 times seven!’
Let’s bring our old wounds, our church wounds, our father wounds, our deferred hopes, our scars of all kinds, before the Lord of grace. Let us release all anger and sickness of heart to his grace and mercy. Let’s rise again and declare ‘Here I am Lord, send me!”.
“Let’s let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us”.
Graham Kendrick has written a song in this theme about Caleb which will help you as you renew your resolve and commitment to go again. The song is on Spotify here
Amen.
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