Stop Carrying Your Baggage
This vision came from one of our team members while having a conversation with one of her friends.
Her friend said, “I’m talking to Jesus and asking Him to take care of my ‘baggage’.”
Her reply, “As for your baggage, Jesus has already taken care of it.”
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
The vision of “The Football.”
There is a black suitcase-like bag or briefcase called “The Football” that goes everywhere the U.S. President goes. It carries top secret information and codes. This “football” is hooked by a strong, thick leather strap to the wrist of the person assigned to carry it. This strap makes it almost impossible for the bag to be stolen (without taking the carrier with it.)
Photo by Rene Böhmer on Unsplash
We as Christians sometimes carry around our ‘baggage/football’ in a suitcase strapped to our wrist. We would love to get rid of it, though we tend to think we are stuck with it for the rest of our lives. So, we try to hide it, decorate it, camouflage it, or stick it under our shirt. Sometimes we even try to pretend it’s not even there. It is incredibly tiring to lug this baggage around and even more tiring, trying to hide it from others as well as ourselves.
Yet, Jesus has already released the strap from our wrist and set us free from this ‘baggage’,
through His death and resurrection, although we don’t always realize this truth. We walk around ‘white-knuckling’ this suitcase so others can’t grab it and possibly see all the mistakes we’ve made, who we really are. What will they think of us? And don’t just put the suitcase in your closet and think that it means it is gone. No, it’s still available no matter how far back in the closet you shove it. You can still go back to these “issues,” those fears, those lies (Not a good idea–believe me, I know!)
All these negative emotions, fears, knee-jerk reactions etc. can still persist. They don’t just go away. We need to hold them up to the Light (Jesus) and expose them for what they are……..LIES! And as Bob Hazlett says in his book, ‘Think Like Heaven’……”show them the door……escort them to the trash heap!” And don’t just put the suitcase in your closet and think that it means it is gone. No, it’s still available no matter how far back in the closet you shove it. You can still go back to these “issues,” those fears, those lies. (Not a good idea–believe me, I know) Leave it at Jesus’ feet and let Him take it from you and keep it…..for good!
We have to realize our freedom, but more importantly, choose to live from that freedom. We have to live from that place of victory. But, just because we are free from our ‘baggage’, does it also mean we are free of the consequences of the choices we’ve made? Not necessarily. We may have to walk through some consequences of our actions. Does this mean that Jesus doesn’t love us? Absolutely not! He is there to take us through, walking with us every step of the way, but we do it from a place of freedom and victory, NOT defeat.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1