BAGGAGE

“You can avoid having ulcers by adapting to the situation: If you fall in the mud puddle, check your pockets for fish.”

~Author Unknown.

We all have it: baggage. If we don’t watch it, however, the baggage creeps up on us both insidiously and actively and harms our relationships, even at an intrapersonal level.

There must be no limit to the amount of baggage we can carry; we just load it on, over, within, and through the existing luggage, latticing complications and emotional effect—to the jettisoning of our spiritual health.

What creates baggage?

Relationship outcomes gone wrong and inappropriately coped with... losses and life blows that are destined to make us stronger weaken us as we take the wrong road to “healing”... crushing experiences from childhood... theft of our souls... abuse, neglect, sorrows, death, divorce, bullying, inauthentic rapport, lack of love, fear etc.

This list is endless. One common denominator, however, is the coping mechanisms we choose to implement. Go the wrong way and we attract only more baggage, and such intricate little and bulky large bags, packages, cartons and parcels of fear-producing anxiety. Go the right way—the narrow path many do not take, for it involves its own pain—and we alleviate baggage, learning to live, eventually, a free life.

And this is everyone’s destiny; at least as far as the vast majority are concerned—those ones who have the capacity to be honest with themselves. This, of course, is a famous AA truism, enshrined by the biblical schema.

We all have it—more or less. The greatest gift for the person seeking to offload excess, fear-producing baggage is to simply be brutally honest about their life; this is to be humble within themselves as to where they’re truly at.

Seeking the truth in relational outcomes is crucial. Reflecting over our initiated actions and responses, continually and habitually, calling ourselves to account, is the only way. Our relationship outcomes are our biggest indicator of success and failure.

It might be difficult to grapple with the past, but if we treat our presents appropriately we will eventually gather the courage, and insight of awareness to reach back and touch those scary parts of our personal history—those things that’ll forever hold us back until they’re revealed and dissipated by God’s magnificent light.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.