In February, after returning from my last trip to the states, I was in the Frankfurt airport waiting for my luggage. As I waited for my bags to come down the conveyor belt I saw another man doing the same thing. However there was one difference between him and me, he was holding a can of some type of drink in one hand. I noticed the drink and thought to myself about how after a long trans-Atlantic flight it is nice to have something to drink.
Then, before my bags came along the man with the can spotted one of his bags. Like many people he had a large bag that was packed pretty good and when it came by him he grabbed it, but he didn't let go of the can! I watched in amazement as he struggled to get his one bag off of the conveyor belt with only one hand. He did it but it took a lot of effort and certainly much more than he would have needed had he used both hands. Then something even more amazing happened, his second bag arrived and he did the same thing! This man was on the opposite side of the baggage pick up area from where I was and too far away for me to help him but I wanted to yell at him, "Hey, let go of the can!" It would seem like an obvious thing to do, but rather than drop the can he struggled to get his two bags with only his one free hand.
Shortly after this incident my luggage arrived and I left the baggage claim area. As I walked away I thought about how hard it was for this man to do what he needed to do because he would not let go of the can he was holding. This was an example to me of how so many people go through life hanging on to things that although they are not wrong, what they are holding on to makes what they need to do in life more difficult than it has to be.
This reminded me of what it says in Hebrews 12:1 where it tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Often times it is not the sin that becomes a problem but it is the extra weight that holds us back from "running our race" for God as Hebrews 12 goes on to say. We need to keep an eye on the things we hold on to in life, like that man did with the can, and let go of anything that might hinder us from being as effective as we ought to be. God has a great plan for each and every person and by putting aside the things that hinder us we can be more productive in the things that we do.
Then, before my bags came along the man with the can spotted one of his bags. Like many people he had a large bag that was packed pretty good and when it came by him he grabbed it, but he didn't let go of the can! I watched in amazement as he struggled to get his one bag off of the conveyor belt with only one hand. He did it but it took a lot of effort and certainly much more than he would have needed had he used both hands. Then something even more amazing happened, his second bag arrived and he did the same thing! This man was on the opposite side of the baggage pick up area from where I was and too far away for me to help him but I wanted to yell at him, "Hey, let go of the can!" It would seem like an obvious thing to do, but rather than drop the can he struggled to get his two bags with only his one free hand.
Shortly after this incident my luggage arrived and I left the baggage claim area. As I walked away I thought about how hard it was for this man to do what he needed to do because he would not let go of the can he was holding. This was an example to me of how so many people go through life hanging on to things that although they are not wrong, what they are holding on to makes what they need to do in life more difficult than it has to be.
This reminded me of what it says in Hebrews 12:1 where it tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Often times it is not the sin that becomes a problem but it is the extra weight that holds us back from "running our race" for God as Hebrews 12 goes on to say. We need to keep an eye on the things we hold on to in life, like that man did with the can, and let go of anything that might hinder us from being as effective as we ought to be. God has a great plan for each and every person and by putting aside the things that hinder us we can be more productive in the things that we do.
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