Baggage

 

Baggage!  In the "old" days, people used this word to describe their luggage as they packed for trips.  It had a positive connotation.   In today's world, it is quite the opposite.  Baggage is something heavy we carry around with us.  Sort of like an anchor around our neck.  It is deemed a negative thing.  It is, what we are left with after failed relationships.

It used to be that the older we became, the wiser we were.  Today, we simply have baggage.  No wisdom, just problems.  The result of our years of experience.  There are not a lot of people who are age fifty or older without any.  In fact, I'd go so far as to say there is no one over the age of fifty without any; it's just the way it is.  So, how did our society take wisdom and experience a positive thing and turn it into baggage?

Every time I hear that word, I want to shout, "This isn't a bad thing...it's what makes me the person I am today."  Having had the experiences I've gone through, I now understand the pitfalls and what to look for in potential relationships.  Yet, there are times that I don't get that far in a relationship because the person I am with immediately determines, "Oops -- baggage!"

The truth is, there is a huge difference between baggage and wisdom.  Baggage is something that you continue to carry around.  You are not freed from it.  Just because you were in a failed marriage does not mean you have baggage.  If you continue to carry around the anger, then yes -- you have baggage.  However, if you have forgiven the person and moved on with your life -- you have freed yourself from that particular weight you've carried around.

As I think about God and my relationship with Christ, I think about how He has freed me.  By His dying on the cross, he has freed me from sin and condemnation.  By His example, He teaches us forgive.  "Jesus said, “Forgive them, Father! They don't know what they are doing....”  Luke 22:34 (GNT)  Forgiveness is key to letting go of our anger and pain.  It frees us from that anchor around our neck.

And so, I encourage all of you to unpack your "baggage".  Learn to take the negatives and turn them into positives.  Be grateful for the journey -- whatever it's been.  Then, share your wisdom with others.  It is through these steps that we can fully live the live God intended for us.