“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)

“Make sure you have enough time to brush the snow off the car, eh?”

“How much snow is on there anyway?”

“Not a whole lot.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get it done fast.”

That was part of the conversation between Sulojana and me Sunday morning just before we left for church.

In my mind, I’m estimating it would take 5 minutes to get the job done.

It was only when I started brushing the snow off the windshield that I noticed the thick layer of hard ice beneath.

Oh-oh!

This was going to take a whole lot more than 5 minutes.

We were already running late.

That’s when the strategic thinking part of my brain kicked in and started barking orders:

“Turn on the ignition. Get the rear defroster going. Turn up the fan, crank the thermostat up to the maximum 32 degrees Celsius and defrost the windshield.”

Yessir. Right away, sir!

Still not good enough to melt the ice completely. It was way too thick.

Time to get out the scraper and apply elbow grease.

Ten more minutes. Finally both windshields and all four windows were totally ice-free.

Now that we had done all we could to remove everything that could prevent us from moving forward safely, we were ready to motor on.

This incident on Sunday morning was indeed a metaphor of what happened in our lives a few years back.

We were both aware of heart issues in our lives that needed to be addressed. We started to deal with them, with some of the resources that were at our disposal at the time.

We read books, went to workshops and listened to teachings on the subject online.

We prayed on our own. We prayed with others. We prayed in a group.

All of our efforts did indeed make a difference. But it seemed that we were not totally free to move forward.

It was as though we had only brushed off the snow. There was still this thick layer of hard ice that needed to be removed.

We noticed that our hearts were being softened somewhat by what we had done, but it was not enough.

It was going to take more time and effort.

We took a week off work and sought the help of trained ministers in the area to show us what to do.

Many tears were shed as painful memories were retrieved, re-lived and redeemed by God.

Secrets of the heart were exposed along with the lies of the enemy that gave them power to control us.

It was like scraping that thick layer of ice off the windshield by hand.

But, it was well worth the effort.

Oh, what a difference it has made to our personal lives, our marriage and our ministry!

We would highly recommend that you consider doing the same, if these words are ringing true in your spirit.

You may wish to check out Sozo and Restoring the Foundations for starters.

Please take the time to remove “everything that hinders” you from running the race toward your destiny. Please.

You too will be amazed at the difference it makes!