Travel Light

Since the days of my youth I have been thinking about my purpose on planet earth. I can remember in middle school lying in my parent’s driveway looking up to the stars and wondering what am I supposed to do with my life.

Like a runner in a race trying to cross the finish line in such a way to win the prize, I knew my existence was to be more than just wandering aimlessly through life. Deep down in my soul I longed to reach this destination that was tugging at my heart and stirring in my head. Like Morpheus said to Neo in the Matrix, the thought about my destiny was a “splinter in my mind.”

As I grew older, I came to the conclusion that my destiny was to play basketball in college. So, I put as much time and effort as I could into trying to become the best hoopster possible. My hard work paid off and landed me a scholarship at Florida State University.

There was just one problem. While on scholarship, I still felt the “splinter in my mind” and longing in my soul for something more. My success as a Seminole would not satisfy the yearning to know my purpose. Having fulfilled a childhood dream, it was quite frustrating to realize my purpose on earth was something beyond shooting three pointers and wearing cool Nike shoes.

It wasn’t until I was a junior in college that I discovered my reason for existence. After attending a campus ministry meeting and hearing a message about Jesus, I realized that I was created by God to know him, love him and serve him. Since that moment, I have been passionately pursuing his purpose for my life.

After seventeen years of serving the Lord, I have developed a catchword as I run the race God has marked out for me. As I advance forward in life one of my mottos is to “travel light.” This is a reminder to let nothing weigh me down and thwart me from achieving the goal God has set for me.

Jogging is an activity that I do frequently. Spring and fall in Tallahassee are such wonderful times to jog outside. At 230 lbs, I do not have the most “jogger friendly” body.

As a former basketball player, I began jogging in my long and heavy shorts, a cotton T-shirt and high top shoes I used to wear during practice or games. In graduate school, I will never forget my first jog with two triathletes. We ran from Tully Gym to Tallahassee Community College and back which is over six miles. Being a competitive athlete, I wanted to run at their pace.

On my way back to Tully, I had to stop and walk. As I stared at the backs of my fellow runners, I noticed that they were not wearing shirts and there shorts were just that…short. Also, I couldn’t even tell if they had socks on and their shoes were lightweight running shoes.

On this hot summer day, my long basketball shorts, T-shirt and high top shoes had gotten soaked in my sweat and began to be quite a heavy load to carry. I quickly ascertained that if I was going to run efficiently, I would have to travel light.

Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance this race marked out for us.” While running this race God has marked out for us, I have erudite that there are five major things that hinder our ability to run well and fulfill our destiny. I will list them below.

1. Disobedience or Willful Sins: “Any act, attitude or action in direct disobedience to the Word of God.
2. Inner Vows: “An inner vow is a determination set with deep emotion by the mind and heart into all a person’s being in early life in response to a person, experience or desire.” It is a vow to oneself (not to God or another person). These vows are made out of hurts and are based on judgments that we make about another person (usually someone close to us like a parent). An inner vow is a vow made to yourself to be carried out by your own efforts and your own power. A classic inner vow is: “I will never be an alcoholic like my dad (mom)!”
3. Curses: “The opposite of blessing; the calling down of evil on someone or something; to afflict; a judgment.” A curse can be passed down from previous generations and can be compounded by things we ourselves have done. Other curses are solely a result of our choices.
4. Emotional Trauma: “A wound especially caused by an emotional shock or painful event or a sudden physical injury that causes lasting damage to the psychological, spiritual or emotional development of a person.”
5. Unforgiveness: “The refusal to let go or to excuse the debt owed by another or to lift it away; to hold on to an offense.”

In order to finish the race that is marked out for you in 2007, it is essential that you throw off everything that might prevent you from running well. Take my advice from years of experience and remember to travel light.