One summer, our pool needed a new cleaner. When it arrived, it was dubbed the Pool Roomba. Prior to its arrival and launch into duty, an extremely large bullfrog was discovered in the pool. The recent addition of pool chemicals should have sent him hopping on to the nearby creek, yet he was persistent. So was my husband, who was determined to relocate the intruder. There were several unsuccessful daily attempts to move this creature to a more welcoming habitat. The trespasser was too large to catch with a pool net, and he could swim and dive to avoid capture. This frog was clever. In an inspired moment, my husband discovered that activating the Pool Roomba was just the deterrent to getting the frog out of the water. This was not a one-time battle, but my husband’s diligence paid off, and the pool lost its noisy bullfrog. This amusing encounter with persistence was part of a bigger lesson from God that day.

My day was difficult; nothing serious, just lots of little things, and a feeling of sadness and discouragement. There was physical pain, emotional frustration, a minor mishap that had me in tears, all wrapped up in a very humid summer day. The whole world just felt oppressive. Feeling this dark cloud early, I tried to get ahead of it with morning stretches and listening to a positive podcast, hoping this would improve my mood. I felt a lot like that bullfrog, trying so desperately to dodge the hits of the day and just get by. Later in this never-ending day, I felt a strong nudge to read the Bible app’s Verse of the Day:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, (who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness), stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 (AMP)

There’s a lot packed into this verse:

• There are so many examples of God’s faithfulness, both in the Bible, and in my own life.
• “Unnecessary weight” is something I don’t have to carry. I can let it go (strip it off), because Jesus will carry my burdens for me.
• As humans, we are easily entangled in sin, and Satan is clever at convincing us we need to hold onto that sin. But Jesus paid the price for ALL our sins. By asking for forgiveness, Jesus takes these burdens from us. Because of His absolute faithfulness, He is always there to take our burdens and sins.
• “The race set before us” is our Christian life.

Therefore, we are to take it one day at a time, strip off the unnecessary weight of burdens and sin, and with active persistence run toward Jesus in our Christian lives. We are to strive to do what Jesus would do if He were standing here today.

Of course, I should have started my day with this verse, as it would have prepared me for all the craziness one day can bring and provide the armor (Ephesians 6:11) to defend myself. I’m thankful that God showed me, through His Word, the road map for navigating these hard days. I’m also thankful He used the lesson of the frog and the Pool Roomba, to show me the need for persistence and to turn my focus back to Him. There is peace in Christ—every day, no matter the entanglements.