“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” – Heb. 12:1. In the early days of the Olympic Games, sprinters did compete barefooted to minimize weight and enhance speed. We are in a race, the rewards only come at the finish line.

While listening to Stephanie Okafor at WOFBEC 2025 today, she highlighted a striking difference between eagles and flightless birds: their weight. Flightless birds are not wingless, but their wings cannot lift their weight. In athletics, it’s called Power-to-weight ratio. As she shared this illustration, I initially thought of fowls, but I’ve seen some fowls manage surprisingly impressive flights (perhaps it’s more of a mental issue– being a chicken). Rather, my mind settled on ostriches—known as the heaviest birds and also the fastest birds (on foot). If only they could shed some extra weight, they should take to flight.

“Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily overcome us”. Weights are not necessarily sin—they could be a group of redundant friends, unchecked appetites and excesses (like alcohol) that easily forerun the triumphant entry of sin. Paul said, I love to please God, “But I see another law (rule of action) in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” – Rom. 7:23.

While searching the Bible today, I discovered three (3) forms of weights illustrated in the scriptures. The first is ‘Burden’ (Matt. 11:30), Jesus says we should exchange our burdens with His, they are light. The next is ‘Yoke’ (Isa. 10:27): a senior brother to burden. Finally, ‘Bondage’ (Rom. 8:21). In my final year at the university, we studied Fault Detection Systems: threats unchecked become faults and faults unchecked could cause failure. Likewise, burdens unchecked grow into yokes, and yokes unaddressed ultimately lead to bondage.