“And Blessed is the
one who is not offended by Me” Matthew
11:6
When I go on trips, even a short weekend get away with my
husband Greg, I pack like I am never returning home and we are headed to a
deserted island with no stores. I pack
at least 6 bags.. For a 2-day trip! One bag for my actual clothing which contains
at least 3 different outfits to choose from for EACH day, one bag is strictly
for my shoes because lets be honest here.. the shoes make the outfit! One bag
for my make up because Lord knows no one wants to see this face without makeup,
one bag for my bathroom necessities and toiletries, one bag for my accessories like
belts, jewelry etc. and one bag for my laptop because all my “vacations” are
working vacations. I envy you ladies who only need to carry one bag! Greg can literally pack one bag containing
his clothing, shoes, toiletries etc in 15 minutes when it takes me a good 2
days. His reasoning is “I don’t like hauling all these heavy
bags around everywhere we go!”
The other “bags” or Offenses I carry on my trips, around the
house, to bed and pretty much anywhere I go aren’t physically seen but they
still carry a lot of weight. I load myself
up with bags full of hurts, resentments, rejections, fears, unforgiveness, anxiety..
you name it and I probably have it shoved in a bag and am currently carrying it
over my shoulder or on my back like a pack mule and will duke it out with
anyone who tries to take it from me!
As a female we tend to feel like we are to carry everyone
else’s problems and be the “fixer” of all.. but what about OUR problems? Who
fixes those? If you’re like me, no one does, you continue to carry those Offenses
with you allowing them to be stumbling blocks and you keep filling your fake Louis up as you go until you have to
grab a suitcase and start filling it up because Lord knows we don’t have time
to work on ourselves and let those issues go.
We would rather beat ourselves up and break our backs carrying all our
baggage than unloading and going through them a few at a time. Its like when I go grocery shopping and I
come home with a car load full of groceries, I will literally weigh myself down
with every single bag, toilet paper under one arm, paper towels under the other
and wobble into the house dropping to the floor from all the weight than make
two trips to my car. Kind of silly huh?
I am pretty good about picking up extra bags everywhere I go. It’s like I have a “baggage radar” always on
alert for a new bag to pick up. Now don’t
get me wrong, I am a purse-a-holic and I love a good designer bag, especially
when its on sale! I can find new bags at work, the grocery store, my favorite restaurant,
social media and even at Church.. Yep.. I went there. Don’t act like you’re all holy roller and you don’t
get hurt or offended at Church. Church
people can be mean! Can I get an Amen? Guess what.. They are human, just like you and I.
Can I be real with you for a minute? Hopefully you just said
yes because you’re still reading this. I
am no expert, I don’t have a college degree, I am not a licensed physician nor
have I ever wrote a book before, I am literally just a normal everyday woman who
has lived a life full of hurts, crippling anxiety, grief, unforgiveness and bouts
of depression. I have packed and picked
up lots of baggage along the way, some I have unloaded only to reload and some I
never unpacked but I can tell you one thing for sure, God is still working on
me and each day the load gets a little lighter.
I decided to take a journey.. a journey to figure out why
I feel the need to pick up all of this excess baggage. My hope is that you will
follow along on this journey and maybe find that you are carrying some of the
same baggage and that together, we can find a way to unpack our bags for good.
I am beginning to think Greg was on to something when he
said “I don’t like hauling all these heavy bags around everywhere we go!” Maybe, just maybe.. I can learn something
from him..
Personal Evaluation:
1. What baggage or offenses have you picked up and
not put back down?
2. How long have you carried this baggage?
3. What is keeping you from putting it down for
good?
4. How has this extra baggage affected your life?
5. Think about what it would feel like to finally
be free from this baggage, how would you feel?
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