Unpack Your Bags…
It doesn’t matter how you dress it up, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, or Juicy Couture, baggage is still “baggage”. Some of the baggage we carry is valuable, but let’s face it, some of that junk in our trunk is useless and needs to be gotten rid of. Some of what we have teaches us and guides us through our future… It molds us and shapes us into the beautiful people that God intends us to be, but what about that junk? Why is it still there and why do we hang on to it?
Not many people enjoy going to the airport anymore. It has gotten frustrating and everyone is always afraid that their bags will be inspected. But, I like it. It keeps me and everyone else safe and in check. My mom used to tell me that I wouldn’t mind her checking up on me if I didn’t have anything to hide. I think that’s true of having our bags looked through. But with life, we really don’t want to lay out everything from our past to have it picked through like a bag at the airport. Some of our stuff is personal, painful, and downright embarrassing, but to move forward it’s a must.
Okay, let’s lay it open and get rid of the bad stuff. How do you know where to start? Well, there is no right or wrong answer there You just have to dig in and realize it might get messy. Gees, I have got some cleaning out to do!
Let’s begin with anything that is holding you back in life. Item No.1: “Bad Relationships”- This doesn’t necessarily mean ex-spouses or ex- boyfriends/girlfriends but let’s face it, these usually have caused some damage in your life and there might be a few of them up still weighing you down; Item No.2: “Rejection”- Oh I really don’t like that one. I’m not even sure why that’s stuck down in there so deep, but I found it; Item No. 3- “Shame and Guilt”… This is a two-in-one product that goes hand in hand. Somehow they got shoved in there with pesky little “Sins” that seem to hide up in the corners of your bag; and Item No.4: “Expectations”- Good grief we all have too many of those and trust me, expectations are highly over rated. Now, I am sure that there are other things in your suitcase: “Pain and Suffering” (another 2-n-1), “Sorrow”, “Disappointment”, etc… Yes, like it or not, all of it: the good, the bad, and the ugly, are part of your past.
At this point some of you are thinking, “It’s too much trouble to unpack all of this junk” or “I’m pretty comfortable with my baggage…we’ve bonded”. But no, this is as good a time as any and even better. Better because we all want to move forward in our life without something weighing us down. Now, it’s up to you, but I prefer a lighter load, so here it goes.
No.1: “Bad Relationships”- Girls, Joe Schmoe and Ken Mattel and all of their accessories weigh a lot. And guys, Barbie and Jane might be a small little trinket in your bag, but the upkeep of keeping them around is costing you. At one point or the other we’ve all been caught up in an unhealthy relationship that was difficult to let go of; maybe some of you are in one today, but for the purpose of this, I assume it’s in the past. I am also assuming that you were wronged and are now carrying the remains of the “Fear” and “Resentment”. That bag just keeps getting heavier and heavier.
No.2: “Rejection”- Frankly, I don’t know why I hung on to this one for so long. “Rejection” has definitely made all of us feel unworthy, unloved, and unable to trust others and ourselves. It makes us fear new adventures in life. It makes us doubtful of our decisions, and we question our ability to discern good from bad. It drives us not to trust our own judgment. “Rejection” comes from lies such as, “you aren’t worthy”, “you can’t accomplish that”, “you aren’t as attractive as…”, and many more that Satan would have you believe. These tear you down. “Insecurity”, “Doubt”, and “Mistrust” just snuck into your baggage along side of “Rejection”.
No.3: “Shame and Guilt”: This 2-n-1 is a product of our own devices. “Sin” likes it when we have a suitcase full of “Shame & Guilt” because it knows that our bags are so heavy that we can’t even pick ourselves up. “Remorse & Regret”, another 2-n-1, join them. Satan wants us to keep these around to remind us of our fa ilures and to make us doubt ourselves in the future.
No.4: ‘Expectations”- Now “Expectations” are my favorite to get rid of. We tend to pack way too many “Expectations”; and let’s face it, this product does not always own up to its name. If we can get rid of those or at least minimize them, we will be less privy to find ourselves hanging out with “Self Pity”, “Disappointment”, and “Doubt”. But we can’t expect not to get hurt, have pain, be lied to, or suffer. These things will happen. Trust me; we will never get rid of “Life’s Not Fair”… I quit trying a long time ago.
Ready? I know; some of you still are reluctant. It seems like way too big of a job, and you are comfortable with your luggage just the way it is… or so you think. My suggestion is to pick one item at a time to get rid of. So, clear your schedule, make some time for yourself, room on your bed, and gather a few things you will need to start the process. You20will need lots of tissue, some of your favorite sappy love songs to intensify and drown out the sobbing, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Chocolate ice cream, a brave best friend that will snap you into reality when you are done, and most importantly “God and your Bible” (remember the 2-n-1 products are hard to get rid of).
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past two years, it’s that God is really good at helping me clean out my bags. You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff He found that I didn’t even realize was in there. He’s good like that you know. Anyway, God wants us to get rid of all the crud and He desperately wants to give us the good things He has promised to us. But how can He do this if we refuse to purge our purses, wallets, or luggage of what is bad?
God wants us to realize that the bad has served its purpose, and that in our brokenness is where He works best. Think about where most of this junk comes from. If we go back to the root of it all, it’s that pesky “Sin” that has put every one of these items in our bags, and in this we can be glad that our God is forgiving. Just think about the disciples. Don’t think for one minute that those guys didn’t carry some heavy baggage around. But it was Jesus who said in Luke 5:31-32, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Ha- Thank God!
Uh-Oh- something I didn’t realize in all of this unpacking is that we will not only have to forgive ourselves for our past mistakes and troubles, but we will also have to forgive others. All those “Expectations” that we are taking out make me realize that not only are we human and fall short of our own standards, but others certainly will fall short. Do we really think that others are super-human and will not disappoint us? God does not promise that we or anyone else is perfect or that we will not suffer. If anything, God’s business is working with the imperfect. In Luke 6:37 Jesus says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” Now I can only imagine God gets pretty aggravated with me, because I have, at times, questioned His thinking. Stop raising your brow at me; you’ve done it too. You know the conversation we all have with Him at times… “But God, this person is bad. Look what he/she did to me. Why do good things constantly come to them when they are so bad?.” But who are we to say this when we ourselves have not been faithful followers of Christ and fall short of Christ-like behavior everyday? Romans 11:30-32, “Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” We have to accept and forgive the imperfections of others.
Now that we have all this stuff strewn out and we’re picking through it, we may start questioning God again. “Dear God, What is the purpose? Your word says that you have good things promised to me and I’m looking at all this stuff and I don’t get it. God, please show me.” Oh trust me; God has heard these cries for eons. God wants us to have faith in Him so that His better plans will be revealed to us; for His glory to be seen. In Hebrews 11:31-38 we are given account after account of those who kept their faith in the Lord but still endured pain, suffering, torture, torment, rejection, sorrow, and more. Hebrews 11:39-40 states, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”
God’s better plans for us… hmmm… just the thought sounds so sweet. It makes cleaning out all this old junk worth it all; worth going through it to get to where we are today; worth the heartache to know real joy. Look in 1 Peter 1:6-9. Peter writes, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-, may be20proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you loved him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Incredible! That makes it all worthwhile.
At the end of this process, we are exhausted. It’s emotionally draining to have your baggage checked and cleaned out. But I must say that it feels pretty awesome to know that God is good and is ready to fill our lives with His good promises. For now, He is ready for us to lay our heads in His lap and just be comforted by His love. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The next time you hear, “What’s in your wallet?” which is a famous advertisi ng slogan, use that time to prompt you to check what burdens you are carrying. For you see, God is never through refining us. He wants us to do a baggage check every now and then, clear out the old stuff, and make room for His good promises. He wants us to also make room in our luggage for “Mistakes” but more than anything He wants for us to make room for His love. He knows that this has not been an easy task, and promises at this time He will give us rest. Now, wipe away your tears, and grab two spoons… Your best friend, and Ben & Jerry’s are waiting on you.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for having good things in store for us. Help us all to realize that Your love is so great for us that all, and that all we have to do to receive it is to make room and time for You. Lord, please reveal to me the things that I may hold on to that hinders me from growing stronger with You and serving you. Help us all to release our burdens and allow You to fill our hearts and minds so that we may have joy fill our lives.
