Too Much Baggage

Claret Cup Hedgehog Cactus

As humans we tend to carry more baggage than we need. We burden ourselves with a huge weight on our shoulders that we don’t need to, when we can put it down for God to carry.

When we visit a big airport, one thing we see is all sorts of baggage. I picked up a friend from the airport last year. I was meeting her at the baggage claim in doing so, I noticed the huge amount of luggage people had. I thought that’s a awful lot of weight in those bags and airlines have strict rules about how much each person is allowed.

It made me wonder how much baggage we carry all the time in our lives. How much baggage do we carry that we were never intended to bear.

Odds are we have bags in our hands right now. We pick up a suitcase of guilt, and a sack of discontent. We have a draped bag of weariness on one shoulder and a garment bag of grief, add a backpack of doubt an overnight bag of loneliness, and a trunk of fear, and pretty soon we are juggling more luggage than we can handle. No wonder people are tired at the end of the day. Carrying all that baggage is exhausting,

Baggage is our human condition. The question is how we deal with our baggage. Do we embrace it and learn from it? Or are we hurting under by it, unable to carry it, and then resort to ineffective coping mechanisms that can continue to hurt us?

The dictionary not only defines baggage as personal belongings packed in suitcases for traveling, but also past experiences or long-held ideas regarding burdens and impediments. The emotional baggage we carry around gets heavy and sometimes we don’t even realize we have picked it up. It can get in the way of our thoughts, hinder our growth, and slow us down. We often take on a lot of unnecessary weight and suffer the consequences.

Can you imagine someone who goes on a hiking trip bringing 10 bags filled with clothing? Huffing and puffing the entire weight all the way. That would be stupid. We would probably tell them that they should leave everything behind, right? Carrying too much weight slows us down and tires us out, but carrying nothing at all may cost us our lives. But going on a hike without water or the necessities also costs us our lives.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

We have to get rid of our baggage. The reason we are burdened is that we hold on to things too long. God doesn’t automatically remove our burdens without our permission. He tells us to cast them onto Him.

Hebrews 12:1 says, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let’s run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Yeshua…”

There are three ways to handle our baggage. I call it the A.B.C. method:

A. Assess your baggage

Search you heart and pray that God would reveal the baggage you’re carrying.

Psalm 139:23-24 says,

“Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”

B. Beware of Baggage

Baggage can come from anywhere. Be aware of situations that cause you to worry or compare yourself. Also, beware of other people’s baggage. You can sometimes see it in their attitude, choices, and words. Don’t let another person’s baggage create more of your own. I learned the hard way, and I carried my mother’s baggage for years. There is no point in denying or pretending our baggage doesn’t exist. It won’t go away, and there is nothing we can do to cover it up.

C. Check your baggage

Leave it all at God’s feet. Drop your bags and let Him pick them up. There is no weight limit. It doesn’t cost more for the heaviest bag. No matter what you’re struggling are -no matter you’re choices, your behavior, it doesn’t matter. Check your bags at the cross.

Whether we’ve had a troubled childhood, a bad marriage, or life was handed to us on a silver platter, we all have baggage. And that baggage affects everything we will ever do, every relationship, every opportunity we are ever given. But we can allow the living God to help us manage each day as it comes, in His strength, now our own. Jesus offers to handle every situation that comes our way.

Staying Energetic

What things give you energy?

I think what gives me energy is to learn something new. Having something to look forward to.

Being out in nature, seeing God’s beautiful creation gives me energy and de- stresses me. It is said that being outdoors triggers vitamin D production and boosts mood and energy, and rests the mind.

America’s Dehumanizing Issue

Hobble Creek

We have gotten really good at dehumanizing people over the past 10 years. So much so that it is affecting people’s lives.

When people can take a video of someone being beaten in the street instead of helping or even calling 911, or sitting and watching someone being beaten bleed out on a transit, with no emotion we have a serious problem.

Society has gotten good at framing certain groups as oppressors vs the oppressed in a way that reduces people to stereotypes it leaves little room for nuance.

The media and both parties of government use dehumanizing rhetoric that denies the humanity of a person or group that portraying them as less than human and placing them outside the bounds of moral consideration. This can create distance and erode empathy, making it easier to justify violence, discrimination, and neglect against a targeted group. This dehumanizing rhetoric is not just insults, it’s a powerful psychological tool that enables perpetrators to overcome moral objections to inflicting pain and suffering on others.

America was founded on free speech. It doesn’t give someone else the right to murder another, just because you disagree with their view. Too many people have lost their lives because others didn’t agree with their stance on life. As a society, we need to relearn that just because someone disagrees with you, it doesn’t give you the right to harm or murder them.

Dehumanization is used to normalize and legitimize actions like torture, aggression, or discrimination. It creates a climate where extreme actions are seen as a necessary response to a subhuman threat.

I believe over the last few years, we have seen the effects that dehumanization has caused. It’s time we learn to be cautious of the metaphors used in any speech and media, as they can shape perceptions and foster animosity.

However we may differ in opinion, we should all be able to agree that violence and the dehumanizing and bigoted rhetoric have to stop if we are going to survive as a nation.

“When we engage in dehumanizing rhetoric we diminish our own humanity in the process”

When we reduce people to terrorists it speaks volumes about who we are and the degree to which we are operating in our integrity.

All Time Favorite Albums

What’s your all-time favorite album?

Naming my all time favorite album is very difficult. I have a few all time favorite albums from Jeremy Camp’s “I still believe,” to Casting Crowns “lifelong celebration of 20 years.” Then along with that it’s Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” and Anything from Creedence Clearwater Revival. But, I can also enjoy some good ole Bluegrass.

I use music to match or shift my mood. My preferences adapt depending on how I am feeling.

I think all of these are tied together somehow. Whether it’s faith, southern roots or classic Americana these artists are grounded in something real and have a story to tell. I care more about what the music means than a certain genre.

Living For The Glory To God

It is wonderful to know that God loves us so much that He wants us to have life and wants us to have it much more rewarding than what we have been receiving.

I have learned this as I have seen God use me, through the event in my life. Over the years I’ve seen the manifestation of His love, in the things that have happened in my life.

There are remarkable unexplained, situations that begin to make sense over time, and if we are paying attention all we can say is that God is awesome.

I think that’s the reason why the Bible says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8). We don’t know how good God is, until we taste of His goodness for ourselves. I can tell you that God is good, but until you experience it you have no idea what I’m talking about.

In life, we can go as far as we want to go but we must use force against our old nature to get there. We have to be willing to move to the next level. There is a foundational truth that every generation must repeat for the next generation or else they will turn away from God.

Many of today’s teachers rarely use the things of the past that were successful to build their modern churches. But I believe there is something that has been used over the past few hundred years that could have helped church members become spiritually grounded and steadfast in the Word. Church leaders spend so much time on the education of things that are passing away and so little time on the things that are eternal isn’t it time we realize that something is wrong?

Some things poison our minds, from the music we listen to, to the things we entertain ourselves with daily. The world, the devil, and the flesh are devouring the younger generation and we are afraid to offend people and go against the status quo. A prime example is the death of a young man 31 years old, who was trying to change a generation of young people and was murdered because someone didn’t like his views. He was full of light, and some chose to hate because of it.

Today people are more concerned about racism than they are about immorality. Immorality runs rampant in our society and is more of a threat than racism is. When will we realize that racism id an attack against a race of human beings, and immorality is an attack against the human race.

If we follow God, we are supposed to be the pillar of truth, and not be silent. Many of us have lost our direction and are not grounded and steadfast in the Word of God because the church has failed them. It’s sad to see that people get upset over racism, but don’t get upset over immortality, because they don’t have a relationship with God.

A relationship with God does not just come by itself. It is always seeking God to find Him. We need to make the effort to press forward, if we don’t travel along the “narrow road’ there will be no growth, and we will remain infants in the knowledge of God and unable to participate in the greater blessings of God.

Paul said in Hebrews 5:12,

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food”

This describes a state of spiritual immaturity, where believers should have progressed to the point of teaching others but are still department on milk, which are the basic principles of God’s Word, rather than progressing to so, I’d food or deeper spritual understanding.

I believe we all have a purpose in life. Ecclesiastes 12:23-14 tells us, “This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this id the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.”

Regardless of what we have been through in life, the most important purpose is to glorify God and the second is to , earn to enjoy our relationship with Him.

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

Topics To Keep Me Informed

Which topics would you like to be more informed about?

I seek to understand why mob mentality and dehumanization exist. Why when someone is offended they choose violence.

I know the root cause is Satan has influenced them to spread hate and violence. Why don’t people understand that the antidote to bad or offensive speech equals hurting or killing someone.

Maybe all the information we need is that people allow Satan to enter their hearts and heads.

A World Without Music

What would your life be like without music?

In a world filled with pain, music gives me comfort, soothing my soul, and calming me down along with bringing me some inner peace.

I could not imagine living without music. Music is a spiritual thread the runs through the heart of creation.

Music helps us celebrate life. It helps us through our struggles and serves as a form of emotional and spiritual healing.

Music transcends language, culture, and backgrounds, it’s the one thing that can bring people together regardless of their differences.

Living In The Awe Of God

“Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, You inspire shouts of joy” -Psalm 65:8

Our work and worry blind us to the miracles around us. We rush through the days silencing the calling and our attention, so much that we mix the daylight before us.

If we pay attention we can see God’s wondrous acts through creation. The calming sea and the established mountains. His gracious care of earth. God’s mighty strength is evident in the creation of the earth.

To live in the awe of God, we must actively pursue a deep relationship with Him, in prayer and studying His Word, patience, and complete obedience to His commands through reflecting on His attributes, creation, and salvation, and humbly trust His plans.

A healthy fear of God involves deep reverence and awe of God. It’s a desire to align our hearts with His values, and hatred of evil, which stems from recognizing His greatness, love, and constant presence in our lives.

My awe of God began when I slowed down and observed. I made the time to pause my life and take in the breathtaking beauty of God’s creation, and allowed myself to see the miracles that surround me.

How Hate Effects Us

Colorado Train Ride

There is profound destruction of hatred. Some may argue for a limited time, in the short term it may have a motivating effect of anger or dislike, but the general consensus is that genuine hatred ultimately harms everyone it touches.

Holding onto deep-seated hatred releases stress hormones that can harm the nervous system, endocrine, and immune systems over time. It can lead to issues like inflammation, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Chronic hatred is also mentally and emotionally exhausting. It consumes energy, distorts reality, and creates obsessive negative thought patterns that interfere with peace of mind.

Hate often stems from a sense of fear, powerlessness, or feeling mistreated. This can cause people to isolate themselves which can reinforce their negative feelings.

When someone acts on deep-seated hate there are consequences of both internal and external that are profound and destructive.

Internally acting on hate intensifies the feeling of bitterness, anger, and resentment. These emotions can be corrosive and can distort the sense of identity or purpose.

Mentally, hate can lead to psychological instability.

After the emotional intensity fades there is a long-term remorse for the harm they have caused.

Externally, hate-driven actions can seriously hurt others, emotionally, physically, and socially. The trauma can last a lifetime.

It can lead to a cycle of violence. Acting on hate often breeds more hate. And can provoke retaliation or inspire others to act similarly, continuing a destructive cycle.

The societal impact can normalize the violence or prejudice, especially if left unchecked can influence others and reinforce dangerous ideologies.

As I look at things happening in America, I am in shock at what we have become. People giving in to evil, for fleshly desires. Rape, murder, and taking things that others have worked hard for. It is just heartbreaking.

“Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated” – Coretta Scott King

Celebrating Holidays

How do you celebrate holidays?

Living in America during the holidays are a cherished time often shared with meals and family.

I don’t have much family left, only a sister that I talk to. Most family get togethers are with my husbands family. Admittedly I feel like an outsider even after 35 years of marriage.

But, I try to bring a few of my traditions from growing up in a Hungarian household with cookies and candies yams the way my nagymama and father taught me.

I lost my father right before the holidays in 2013, I miss him dearly, but a following a few traditions every year seems to ease the pain.