Not a pannel of judges but a group of enthusiastic cheeres

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

It always used to make me uncomfortable when I read Hebrews 12:1 because of the "cloud of witnesses". I don't know about the rest but the thought of "a group of people" watching my every step and some of the shameful things I do and think, makes me want to run and hide.

But somehow, now I look at it differently. I don't think the poit of the "cloud of witnesses" was to intimidate us. They are not there like a judging pannel assessing every step we take. They are there to cheer us on. Think about it, if Jesus cheers you on and wants you to be victorious, do you think anyone else in His peresnce could ever judge you when they see how much He loves you?  I think the witnesses are mentioned like a reminder, because immediately after, the author of Hebrews talks about some very clear and at times diffictult actions we must take.

The witnesses are mentioned to remind us of our Father's Kingdom towards which we are running. They are mentioned to keep our heads up and our eyes forward- "Hey, consider all those who went before you, they are witnesses that it can be done and it is not just One now, there's a cloud of them." So, throw off everything that hinders you, be that discouragement or fear or intimidation and stay away from evil because it is an easy trap. Run everyday, run at a steady secure pace in trust that the One who is with you is the One who established your route in the first place.

You are part of a Kigdom and you are making your way back to that Kigdom and although you don't see it with your human eyes, you prove your faith in it by the fact that you keep running towards it everyday. That is the expression of your faith in action. You persevere everyday towards that Kigdom, come rain or shine, whether you feel cheered on or not, because it is not about the weather and it is not about the popularity and it's not even about you. It is all about seeing your Beloved's face and putting your hand on His heart. That is all that matters, so keep going!