What’s in the Bag

Ever find yourself carrying so much stuff in your purse that your shoulders start to hurt from all the weight of the purse? If your like me you find yourself walking around with unnecessary stuff in our handbags. In my purse you will find all sorts of stuff that at some point start to make the purse heavier and heavier. In my purse to give you an idea, I have 3 different lotions, 5 chap sticks (cause one is not enough) expired makeup, about 10 pens, and an endless amount of receipts and much more. No matter how many times you try to organize and keep your purse neat it just goes back to clutter. I find myself rushing through life everyday that it just becomes easy to stuff my purse when I’m on the go go go. What if I told you that sometimes life’s issues start to weigh us down like our purses do when they get to full of unnecessary clutter.

One day in the store, as I was getting ready to go checkout I approach the cashier unprepared when she gives me the total of my purchase. I reach in my purse to look for my debit card and it’s not in my wallet which only means it somewhere lost in the rubble of stuff inside my purse. I start to dig, as the line behind me starts to get long. I’m digging and digging, all I find is receipts, pens, and more receipts. I’m frantically searching for my debit card pulling out everything but my card. Finally! I found my card in the little secret pocket of my purse, by than there is a mob of people in line rolling their eyes and tapping their feet. I think to myself, “Remember to clean out your purse!” In some crazy way life can sometimes be like our purses when we start carrying too much.

As I went home to clean and organize my purse, I couldn’t help but to think that I too was carrying more on my shoulders than just a heavy purse. I was facing a trial that was becoming too much for me to carry. The situation I was facing was allowing me to carry all the wrong things rather than carrying all the right things.

I started carrying doubt, fear, hopelessness, unbelief, worry, and anxiety.

What happens when we start carrying the wrong things in our lives? It weighs us down and it becomes too heavy to carry.

I started to doubt that God would deliver me from this current trial, fearing the outcomes, not having enough faith in my hopeless situation, worrying about what people would think about me, and feeling anxious of all the pain I was facing in my current situation. I felt so heavy. The word says that we are to surrender our heavy burdens unto Jesus, the one who died on the cross to carry them. Jesus carried the weight of our sin so that we wouldn’t have to carry them. God’s word says, ²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

We also face moments in where we take on so much, not only do we start carrying our own issues but we tend to carry the issues of those around us. Like our family members, or close friends. In the book of Exodus chapter 18, you will read about Moses, as we know Moses was chosen by God to lead the Israelite’s out of Egypt. Moses one day receives wise council from his father in law Jethro. Jethro had observed how all the Israelite’s would go to Moses to complain and bring all their issues to him so that Moses would give them instructions on what to do and what to decree from God’s word.

 ¹⁸ “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.  Exodus 18:18 NLT

What Moses failed to do was take all those issues on to the Lord, instead he took it upon himself only causing him to carry the weight of all the issues he was hearing. Jethro tells Moses,   ¹⁸ “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.  Exodus 18:18 NLT. Jethro advises Moses, that rather than dealing with the issues all alone, that he needs to give all the disputes to God and to appoint leaders that he can trust to help with the matters of the people rather than just him.

How many of us start to take on everyone’s disputes, complaints, and problems including our own and think that we can fix everything???

Let me just tell you, you will wear yourself out! The best thing that you can do in any situation is going to GOD first. Seek God’s counsel before you take on burdens that were not meant for you to carry. God calls us to be intercessor, prayer warriors, and yes there will be times when you feel a burden in your spirit for someone or a situation. That is God calling you to pray for someone and you keep praying until the burden lifts for that person or situation. We must discern and seek wisdom on what we can carry and what we shouldn’t.

We have to stop carrying all the wrong things. Don’t let fear, worry, anxiety, doubt, and hopelessness wear you down. Let the God of the impossible fill you with hope, joy, strength, courage, faith, and love. Give it to Him, go to the one that can fix any situation over your life, your families or friends. Don’t wear yourself out doing what only God can do. What are you carrying today? Whatever it is bring it to God, seek His direction and wisdom and He will lead you. Let him take the weights off. Be blessed