Hi. My name is William, and I’m a disc golfer.
I’ve learned something about this sport that has a lot more to do with life than you might imagine.
Most beginners start playing disc golf with just three discs. But before long, we find ourselves carrying bags stuffed with 25 or 30 discs, even though we only use eight or nine of them during a round. We carry high-speed drivers we don’t have the arm speed to throw, multiple sets of putters, and several duplicates of our favorite discs. Eventually, the bag gets so heavy that we need a cart just to haul everything around!
I’ve learned to lighten my load. Instead of carrying way too many discs, I try to carry the ones I actually need. My bag is lighter, my rounds are more enjoyable, and sometimes my scores are even better.
The same thing can happen in our souls. We carry some responsibilities because we must, but we also carry things simply because we’ve carried them for so long that we’ve stopped asking whether they still belong.
Every heavy thing is not sinful.
Hebrews 12:1–2 tells us to “lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and to run with endurance the race set before us, looking unto Jesus.”
Notice that the Bible distinguishes between weight and sin. Something can be heavy without being sinful.
Think about the many mental health challenges people experience, including anxiety, depression, panic attacks, unresolved grief, and childhood trauma. Experiencing these things does not mean you’ve failed God. You can be a faithful Christian, love Jesus with all your heart, and still experience struggles that require attention and treatment.
We need to do a better job of making the church a place where people can talk openly about their mental health. We don’t think twice when somebody tells us about a physical illness, but sometimes we become uncomfortable when someone admits they’re struggling emotionally or mentally. That needs to change.
The Body of Christ should be a place where hurting people can find compassion, encouragement, prayer, and help. Nobody should feel that they have to pretend they’re okay when they’re not.
At the same time, what happened to you can produce unhealthy patterns in you that God wants to heal. Perhaps you use anger to protect yourself, inappropriate humor to hide insecurities, or excessive work to avoid dealing with painful emotions.
Maybe somebody spoke something negative over you as a child, and you’ve listened to those words on a repeating loop for decades. Eventually, you began to believe those toxic lies about yourself.
My friend, your struggle can be real without becoming your identity. Your history may explain some things about you, but it should never imprison you.
What happened to you can be part of your story without becoming the title of your eulogy.
You can’t run well while carrying extra weight.
The Christian life is a lifelong marathon of faith. The important thing isn’t who finishes first. We have a race to run, and God calls us to keep moving forward with our eyes on Jesus.
One of the things marathon runners understand is the importance of aid stations. Throughout the course, people are positioned to provide water, refreshment, and assistance so runners can continue toward the finish line.
God provides people along the course of our lives who can encourage us, help us, and provide refreshment when the race gets difficult. Sometimes that help comes through a pastor, a trusted friend, a counselor, or a medical professional. Sometimes it’s somebody who simply sits with us, listens without judgment, and reminds us that we aren’t alone.
Don’t allow pride to keep you from accepting the help you need. You were never meant to run this race alone.
And while you’re accepting help along the way, take some time to examine what you’re carrying. Some responsibilities belong to us for a season but were never intended to become lifelong burdens.
Laying aside unnecessary weight might mean setting a healthy relationship boundary, changing your schedule to get better sleep, forgiving somebody who hurt you, or getting professional help for something you’ve been trying to manage alone.
First Peter 5:7 reminds us to cast all our cares upon God because He cares for us. There are many things in life’s journey that God never intended us to carry long-term.
Healthy habits help us keep running.
Disc golf has become a healthy habit for me. I get to go outside, throw things, yell at trees for existing, and cheer for my friends when they manage to miss those trees. Sometimes it even feels therapeutic!
Regular exercise is good for our mental health. Paul told Timothy that bodily exercise has value, but godliness is profitable for all things (1 Timothy 4:8). Physical health requires discipline, and so does the spiritual side of caring for our minds.
Why not combine the two? Take a walk and talk with the Lord while you’re walking. Spend some time outdoors, establish healthier routines, and make room in your life for the activities and relationships that help you become healthier.
As you examine what’s weighing you down, consider the people influencing you, the voices shaping your thinking, and the habits you’ve developed. Some things need to become regular practices, while other things need to stop.
Your future is shaped more by the habits you repeat than the goals you set.
And remember, you can love somebody, forgive them completely, and still refuse to give them an all-access pass to your life.
Healing often requires change. What God helps you lay down on Sunday has no business weighing you down on Monday.
Keep your eyes on Jesus!
Hebrews 12 doesn’t simply tell us to lay aside unnecessary weight. It also tells us where to direct our attention as we continue running the race: looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Whatever has hurt you has a way of demanding your attention until eventually the struggle becomes all you see. Anxiety, grief, failure, fear, and trauma can become so consuming that they begin to shape how you think about yourself and your future.
We don’t deny the reality of those struggles or minimize the pain they cause. But we must also remember that they do not get to determine who we are becoming.
You belong to Jesus. Keep looking to Him.
I want you to understand that you are not responsible for healing yourself through sheer willpower. You can cooperate with the grace of God by taking wise steps, accepting help, following appropriate treatment, and continuing to seek Him in prayer.
Sometimes healing happens quickly. Other times, it is a journey that requires patience, endurance, and continued faith. Don’t become discouraged simply because everything hasn’t changed overnight.
Keep running your race.
What are you still carrying?
Before you move on with your day, I want to encourage you to ask God two simple questions: What are You asking me to lay down, and what is my next step?
Don’t worry about step number twelve when you haven’t taken the next step in front of you. Perhaps today is the day you finally tell somebody you’re struggling. Maybe it’s time to make that appointment, forgive somebody, establish a healthy boundary, or surrender something you’ve been carrying for years.
Remember that overflowing disc golf bag? Sometimes you don’t realize how much unnecessary weight you’ve been carrying until you finally begin to lay some of it aside.
You don’t have to keep up with everybody else’s pace. You have your own race to run, and God has placed people along the way to help you keep moving forward.
Keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep running your race. And keep running light.
