Baggage

We all carry around baggage.

Some of it we have shared with others, but some of it we keep to ourselves.

We keep telling oursleves that no one else on earth understands what is weighing us down and if we shared our bags and someone happened to peek inside and see what we were carrying with us, it would scare them away.


We are all "typically born baggage free.  Then as we grow older, slowly yet surely, we begin to pick up a bag here and and another bag there.

Maybe you experienced something traumatic as a child, Like the death of a parent or being abused... And that causes us to pick up a bag.

Maybe as a child or teen, you were picked on/ bullied or you did something stupid that you regret...And that causes you to pick up a bag.

Maybe as an adult, you got fired from a job or dealt with a nasty divorce...And that causes you to pick up a bag.

You begin to look in the mirror and not like what you see, and you start believing the lies being whispered in you ear that you "aren't good enough" or that "you're damaged" or "worthless"....And yet again more bags are placed upon your shoulders.

The weight becomes unbearable. you begin sweating and you knees begin shaking. You use up the last bit of energy you have in your reservoir to plaster a fake smile on your face so youe friends and family can't see the the true pain in your eyes. Then later that night in the dark and privacy of your room, with the door locked and blinds closed, you finally let it all fall off so that you can get some rest.

But what happens the very next morning? The alarm rings, you wake up, place all your baggage back on your shoulders, re-plaster on your fake smile, and head back out into the world.

You finally find someone who seems sincere and genuinely concerned about you and you decide to 'unpack' a little only to find out that the person isn't at all who you thought they were. They leave you high and dry and flaunt your dirty laundry out on a line for all the world to see.
You quickly re-pack everything, and guess what...you just earned yourself a new bag.
You get angry and tell yourself that you are NEVER going to share your history again because ALL people are the same and you can't afford to get hurt again.

And that may be true. But I can assure you there is one place you can safely lay down your bags and unpack them without any fears, and that place is at the feet of Jesus.  I mean, let's be honest. He created you and He already knows everything you have tucked into the corners of every bag before you even begin to unzip the first zipper.
You have no problem too small that He doesn't care, nor do you have any problem too large that He can't handle.
And trust me, you aren't going to scare Him away either.

 The Bible clearly says to hand our burdens over to Him:

Psalm 55;22~"Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain you..."
1 Peter 5:7~"Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you."
Psalm 68:19~"May the Lord be praised! Day after day He bears our burdens; God is our salvation."

and my favorite...


 Matthew 11:28-30~"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

In the last verse not only does God tell us to cast our burdens on Him, He also promises to give us rest!And I believe here He is not just talking about physical rest, like sleep, but also spiritual and emotional rest...or in other words, peace. A peace only He can give.
That sounds like a pretty good deal if you ask me.

So what are you waiting for? Cast your cares on Him, Drop your heavy bags at His feet. They aren't doing you any good. In fact, they are doing a lot of damage, We weren't created to be able to hold onto all this. All they are doing is weighing you down and causing you to slip and stumble, and not allowing you to be the  best you and you can be. You are missing out on all the good God wants to give you because you are to concerned with holding onto the bad the world has given you.

You have a choice. The world's lies OR God's peace. You can't carry both. Which will you choose today?

It is God's will that I should cast my cares on Him each day.
He also bids me not to cast my confidence away.
But, oh, how foolishly I act when taken unaware.
I cast away my confidence and carry all my care.

People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them. 

None knows the weight of another's burden. 

It's easier traveling the road of life when I don't have so much to carry on my back.

Live...Laugh...Love
Until Next Time,
Racheal <3