By Sherry Anne
Come to Me, all you 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.†(Matthew 11:28-30)
One of the more enjoyable skits I have ever done was for an overnight ladies retreat in the Adirondack Mountains, New York. The theme was a “lighten-your-load-get-rid-of-your-baggage†kind of theme. Our ten-minute opening presentation was a hit. Three of us ladies each portrayed (and quite appropriately, too!) a character on her way to a very important event if they could just navigate their way through the woods to get there!
The first character, Jane, was the female equivalent of Indiana Jones. Dressed in cargos, she was equipped with her hat, compass, and map to locate the mystery cabin. Think of the second character, Chris, as the female counterpart to Rambo. This dame came equipped with a machete and a Swiss Army Knife, along with all the skills needed to survive the jungle. Enter my character: Tiffany. Yup, the brunette version of Elle in Legally Blonde! Oh yes, it’s true! She came prepared with her three suitcases, ten dress outfits, five pairs of high heels, two bottles of hairspray and a large case containing makeup, toiletries, and other odds and ends that served absolutely no purpose in steering her in the right direction. She looked great but was ill-suited for the task at hand. She was definitely not fit to travel with her action hero companions!
So, there we were— the three of us—on an adventure to accomplish a goal, encountering several setbacks along the way: injuries, hunger, and getting lost. Tiffany’s plan was to pray for a man (i.e. Tarzan) to show up and solve all her problems. Know anyone like that? Chris, on the other hand, just wanted to get ahead as she hacked everything up, relentlessly destroying not only potential food sources but also leaving us trailing behind in the wake of her mess. We can be this way, too, with words or job positions—tearing people down to further our own agenda and egos. Meanwhile, Jane was so busy looking down to read, study, and analyze the plans that she didn’t see the small boat right in front of her that would take all of us safely over to the other side. I think anyone living in the media-crazed twenty-first century can relate to Jane!
After several hours in the woods, Tiffany, whose stockings and mascara were now running, eagerly entered the boat. But, when she went to get in with all her luggage in tow, it began to sink. Her baggage had become her blockage, or hindrance, to where she was going. Even though she had used and needed all of these things in the past, they were of no use to her where she was going. In order to survive and reach her ultimate destination, Tiffany had to drop her excess baggage to cross over to the other side, where the blessing was.
Similarly, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.†For our benefit, and for necessary growth, we need to let go of many things we are holding onto from our past and allow God to fill us up with the new things He has for us in the future. In 1 Corinthians 2:9 we read, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.â€
New adventures await you! What do you need to let go of? Who are you willing to put in God’s hands and not yours? What is the thing that is keeping you from getting to the other side where you are appointed (and anointed) to be? Think about that today as you pray this prayer: Father, help me to lighten the load of my past and leave baggage behind so I cross over to the new future you have for me. Thank you for providing me what I need, daily, to take the next step. Amen
By Sherry Anne
First published in July 2014 by SGN Scoops digital magazine.
Sherry Anne is a monthly contributor to SGN Scoops magazine. For current issues, visit http://www.sgnscoops.com/
