THROW IT OVERBOARD 

Micah Smith 

Today's Scripture: "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." Hebrews 12:1, ESV 

Theme: Don't give up when following Jesus becomes difficult. Instead, let go of anything holding you back from following Him. 

EVERYTHING THAT ISN'T NECESSARY 

At a certain point in The Aeronauts, the balloon stops climbing. The storm is intensifying; the altitude isn't where James needs it to be for his research; and the only way up is to get lighter. So, they start throwing things overboard. Sandbags first. Then equipment. Then their coats — which, given that temperatures at that altitude will drop to levels that make basic survival difficult, are not small things to give up. 

None of those things were bad things. The equipment had real scientific value. The coats were necessary on the ground. But the climb demanded that they go. Holding onto them wasn't an option if they wanted to keep ascending. As a side note: this movie isn’t a perfect fit for biblical principles – sound judgement would say “Hey, if we have to get rid of our coats and scientific measuring equipment, this may mean we should head back down,” but bear with me here. 

CLOUDS, WEIGHT, ENDURANCE 

When I first read Hebrews 12:1 alongside this film, I had to do a double take. Clouds. Weight. Endurance. This seems like a suspiciously close fit. 

The writer of Hebrews is drawing a picture of a race — and not a sprint. A long, grinding, sometimes brutal race. The kind where the question isn't whether you'll get tired. You will. The question is whether you'll keep running anyway. 

There are two things he says to shed before you run: sin, yes – we probably all saw that one coming — but also "every weight." That's an important distinction. Not everything that slows you down is sinful. Some of them are just heavy. Busyness. Distraction. Procrastination. Netflix murder dramas. Good things that have quietly crowded out better things... murder dramas in moderation. The balloon didn't need to throw overboard anything inherently wrong — it just needed to get lighter. 

And then there's the cloud of witnesses — every person who has run this race before you and finished. They're not watching to judge. They're the crowd in the stands, cheering you on, the ones who know exactly how hard the course is because they ran it themselves. 

THE LONG GAME 

When I think about endurance, I think about parenting. There are days — long, depleted, running-on-empty days — where work has already taken everything, you didn't sleep, and lunch was questionably fresh bread and peanut butter that someone definitely left the lid off of at some point. And yet the kids still need you to show up. 

Parenting isn't a sprint. One great conversation with my daughters isn't going to guarantee they always make good choices. It's me consistently showing up, day after day, trying to show them the best fatherly love I can — cheering them on in the wins and sitting with them in the losses. That's the race. And most days, endurance is the only move. 

Make it Personal: What weight do you need to throw overboard — not because it's sinful, but because it's keeping you from climbing? And in whatever long race you're running right now — parenting, a hard season at work, a relationship that requires more than you feel you have — remember you're not running alone. There's a cloud of witnesses who’ve already finished, and they're pulling for you. 

Pray: Father, show me what I'm holding onto that needs to go. Give me the courage to release it — even when it has value, even when it's hard. And on the days when endurance is the only move I have left, remind me that I'm surrounded by those who ran before me and that You are with me in every step of the race. In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

Read: Hebrews 12:1-3, Philippians 3:13-14 

Weekly Memory Verse: "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." Hebrews 12:1, ESV