Blows to the Head, and Victories for the Journey…

I will say one thing, the path to adoption is certainly a rollercoaster ride. Last night we found out that someone has been discouraging my daughter from coming with us. They question Jenny and I’s ability to be the best place for her. That was certainly a blow. It hurt to hear and beyond that being separated from her and not able to be there to comfort or help her feel more confident, well that sucks too.
I was kept up a good bit last night because of it. I kept praying and trying to remind myself that one persons efforts can not ruin God’s plan for us.

Today brought a victory in the long journey though. We have the home study scheduled for Tuesday the 6th, that is before our next set of days off. So we get to have a home pass! We are super excited.
Life’s journey seems to be a cycle of blows to the head and victories for the journey. Often in rapid succession. God doesn’t promise those punches will be easy, just that we wont get knocked out.

The next chapter in Hebrews deals with this sort of thing. There is so much in chapter 12 I really only am looking at the beginning of it today.

12:1 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, 2 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.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

A good friend of mine always said that the first thing to do is see what the, “therefore” is there for. In this case, if you will remember, we are referencing directly back to the long list of people who had been, “justified by faith.”
The author of Hebrews lists out this incredible list of testimonies of faith and then says we are surround by a cloud of witnesses. Witnesses offer testimony and according to Revelation our testimonies are the power of God released in our lives to overcome the enemy(Revelations 12:11). So we are surrounded by a thick blanketing cloud of the power of God being released into our lives in order to overcome the enemy.
It is with this incredible truth that the Author says, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely. We are surrounded by the evidence of God’s power at work in lives of faith and yet we often cling to sin and habits, attitudes, and behaviors which weigh our spirit down with guilt, shame, and darkness. Do we cling to these things because we are horrible and detestably evil people? Not generally. In all reality we often fear we can not overcome the sin, or we simply fear what things will be like without out pet sins. We long for freedom but like any child unused to the world, that same freedom scares us.
Hebrews tells us we have the power of God in our lives and stories of victories to help us lay aside anything that hinders our spiritual lives. This promise does not come without a necessary response. We are next called to run the race set before us. Not it did not say our own path but rather the one given us. We are also told that there will be need to run with endurance.
When you are running it matters a great deal where you are looking. If you focus on the hill in front of you your legs will grow weary of the climb prematurely. If you focus too far down a road you will begin to despair the distance. If, however, you focus on the next few steps your brain will communicate a continual confidence to your legs that you can indeed run that distance.
In the same way our spiritual race depends greatly on where we set our eyes. Notice verse 2 gives us our focus. It is on Jesus, who leads us step by step, that we focus on. Today’s victory is the most important in the life of a Christian. Live each moment full of grace and founded in faith and your race will be well run.
We are then prepared for the next section of this passage. While we are called to lay every sin aside and run with endurance we are reminded that Jesus, our focus, as already been there. He is called the founder and perfecter of our faith. Not only has He run the race before us but He did so perfectly.
Jesus, however, did not simply endure the world long enough to receive His reward. He ran with joy to be sacrificed on the cross, threw down hell and buried sin, and sat in victory and glory at the Father’s right hand. He died, rose, and reigns.
That is way more than we have ahead of us… 
As I said this simply gets us ready for the next section,

4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:4-11 (ESV)

The Author comes out and says, you’ve not been so tested as to shedding your blood, you can almost hear the, “so suck it up” in that verse. He then transitions to the “exhortation” of being called sons by God.
If you are a parent you know the difficulty in disciplining your children.

Seriously when your child looks at you with adoration and you know that they simply do not understand the depth of what they are doing, it becomes difficult to disciple correctly. It sounds ridiculous to a child for you to say, “now this hurts me a lot worse than it hurts you.” As a parent, however, you being to understand why your parents would say that. However, we know discipline is a must if we are to build godly and well rounded men and women of God. God knows the same.
I do not think the focus here is the “wrong” that the believers may or may not have committed, but rather the building up that is happening. Punishment is not the main goal in discipline, rather the point is character development. So it is with God’s discipline. He loves us so much as to never leave us where we are but keep calling us further into the likeness of Christ. THAT is our race.
Finally he says,

12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

Hebrews 12:12-13 (ESV)

The point of the exhortation comes out. Much as what was delivered to Joshua numerous times as he took over for Moses, “Be strong and courageous.” Just as Joshua was promised rest in the land, so our exhortation comes with a promise; rest and healing in a promise land whose maker is God.