Have you ever been awestruck by someone or something? Something that someone did or said or in awe of something that you saw or experiences? Have you ever heard the phrase, "If its to good to be true then it probably is." Ever thought those two things at the same time? Its like magic; magic is great but its certainly not real or true and most certainly I am in awe of the magician, someone that can fool me into believing that something or someone has disappeared but maybe magic is a bad example, let me see if I can explain...
We are often struck by people in our lives, whether for good or for bad, people make impressions in our lives. People can certainly be too good to be true, the question is when do we stop worrying about when we might find out about that less then stellar attribute? Granted all people have both good and not so good qualities. We try to focus on the positive and look past the negative but when you've been hurt time and time again it starts getting harder to not be looking out for the negative.
Going on vacation means a lot of planning, if your like me I tend to pack several days ahead because I know that I will forget something important. I know that there are stores where I am going but I really don't want two of something so I fret and plan and make lists of what I need to bring when I go somewhere. The problem with packing simply everything you might need is that your luggage get very heavy and burdensome.
I used to be a light packer, I went to Pakistan with one backpack and a normal size carry one. You can't just go out to a store in Pakistan and purchase something like you can in the States, but I trusted in my instincts as to what I needed to bring and what I could leave behind.
Luggage restrictions on flights have gotten pretty tough, and unless you want to pay to fly those other bags you better try to figure out how to only bring a carry one. Its the same with your relationship baggage, you have to figure out what is necessary and unnecessary to bring with you from place to place. We all think all of our hurts and broken pieces of our hearts are important enough to carry with us, but just like that extra bag they can really cost you when you travel.
So what to do with relationship baggage? Any baggage, relational or not, is expensive. You've put your sweat and tears into your relationship and its difficult to just walk away from it, so what are you willing to bring with you?
As a really bad example, let's think about when it might be appropriate to bring a hair dryer with you on vacation. Yes, we all must have great hair each day, everyday but don't most hotels have hair dryers in their rooms? Yes, there are things that we have learned from each and every relationship but don't we owe it to the next person to give them a chance to prove that we might actually need that hair dryer. However there are somethings, like my flat iron that I just can't do without. Things like my autonomy, my self-worth and my self-awareness. I've been known to loose my luggage from time to time, so I always carry those things in my carry-on.
Not that I am an expert on anything and especially relationships but here is what I know...your baggage is important to you, its who you are and what you are. But sometimes you might need to just let our hair dry naturally. Your baggage just might be holding you back from something really great. Sometimes the best times are when your hair is messy and frizzy.
So the next time you are tempted to drag that heavy suitcase through the airport, make a list of things that you just might be able to turn over to Him. Its amazing how much of your burden He can bear. When you turn things over to Him, He shoulders the burden and you don't have to lug it around anymore. Its really great when you can skip and run instead of dragging your troubles around behind you.
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