Have you felt overwhelmed and burdened?  Have you thought you could not carry anything more, or juggle anymore balls? If someone asked you to do one more thing, will you scream at them or do something you will regret?  Have you entertained the idea of running the other way, or worse, had thoughts of suicide? 

This is all indicative of trying to do life on your own.  You think you are in control.  These thoughts are also lies of the enemy designed to keep you in bondage and ineffective for your purpose in life.  Feeling like you must escape from life’s burdens is a victim mentality of survival and the very essence of busyness and pride.  You have what I call “luggage run amuck,” and it’s time to downsize!

There is hope!  The answer is simple.  Lay ALL the luggage down at the feet of Jesus.  Cast ALL your burdens on Him. Give all your feelings, your fears, your desires, your stuff, your junk, your burdens, your anxieties, your ideals, your failures, and your losses… cast it ALL on the One who created you and loves you.  Give it ALL to the only One who will give you rest, the only One you can trust with everything.

I spent two decades walking the roads of life carrying around a lot of baggage.  There was the fear of failure, feelings of insecurity, misplaced hope and abandonment, the hurt of being deceived, the disappointment of lost dreams, confusion, and so many more bags of junk.  The weight of all this stress on the physical body is enough to ruin you and make you ineffective for the calling on your life.  Eventually, carrying this load did take its toll on my body.  I am currently four years into this healing journey and have given many bags and burdens over to my Savior.  I still have much to give, but this journey of healing from the inside out has brought much relief to my overall health.  

I am not here to say that surrendering control of your “luggage run amuck” is easy; it is not.  You will grieve its loss because you have grown accustomed to its load.  You may experience feelings of guilt or maybe failure.  That would be the enemy trying to influence you to pick it all back up again, and walk away from the freedom that Christ offers you.  I did that, too.  But not for long.  It took friends at various turning points bold enough to say the hard things, and hold me accountable, to help me to keep laying it all down. 

We are not meant to live this life alone.  The “lone wolf” mentality does not work, and should be rejected.  Chances are, you may not even know you are doing the “lone wolf” thing until a true friend calls it out in your life.  Resisting the guidance of those wiser than you, thinking you know best, saying to yourself “I’ve done this before, I know what I am doing” or “they have no idea what I’m going through” are issues of pride that keep you in bondage.   These ideas add to that “luggage run amuck” syndrome that keeps you feeling like you are in sinking sand.  Others may not know the stench of your “run amuck luggage,” but they recognize the signs of it in your physical posture, your guarded emotions, your emotional state, and your nonverbal pattern of self destruction.

I had an encounter in ministry once where a laundry list of offenses had created the perfect storm.  It was a field day for the enemy and no one involved was left untouched by the disaster.  The only way I was able to deal with it was through the wise counsel of my two mentors and my accountability group.  They encouraged me to cast my burdens onto my Savior and let Him carry it.  He did the healing in my heart, and He did the refinement in my soul.  The relationship healed and God was glorified.  Had I tried to manage this situation alone, it would have become one more piece in my already out of control amount of luggage, and that was not acceptable.   

The BEST way to work through and lay down this luggage is to be held accountable by someone who will mentor you, and to have a small group that you meet and pray with regularly.  You can contact your local church for possible resources, and begin this journey asking the Lord to direct you to the person and  group he has set apart for you. Often this accountability group is a Bible Study group with whom you build relationships and meet regularly.  One of the gals in my accountability group has been with me in Bible Study for seven years; she knows me and I know her which makes it a trustworthy situation.  Another gal is not in my Bible Study group, but a friend from my teaching years; a former student’s mom.  So, do not be held back by ideals or expectations that there is a magic formula to find a group, and miss what God can do to provide you the ones needed in your life!

It is my prayer that you will take the risk, step out in faith, and trust God to lead you and provide for you the right mentor and accountability group; the ones He has prepared just for you!  

Joyfully Healing from the inside Out,