Carry less stuff – Leave your burdens behind
Waiting | Photo by suvodeb
A few weeks ago we talked about carrying less stuff.
Hopefully you took the time to purge your pockets or purse with some of the stuff that’s been weighing you down.
But beyond “the stuff” there’s plenty of other things that can weigh us down along the journey.
- Guilt
- Shame
- Anger
- Frustration
They each place an undue burden on our backs — and on our hearts.
Have you ever seen someone who’s been carrying around a burden of guilt suddenly let go of it?
They finally decide to quit carrying around their burden alone and admit their fault or frustration or guilt.
It’s literally like a 50 pound weight has been lifted off their backs.
Or what about someone who’s always bitter and angry towards someone? They’re holding on to their right to be angry for as long as they can, not noticing the weight they’re really carrying around with them.
Admit when you’re wrong.
A friend told me a couple weeks ago, if you want to get closer to God and others, start posting all the wrong things you’ve done on Facebook or Twitter. It will humble you in seconds — but the burden of guilt will be lifted immediately as well.
St. James offers an interesting If/Then statement in his writings.
He writes that IF people confess their faults to one another and THEN healing WILL come.
Personally, I don’t believe James is telling us that when we’re sick with the flu, we should confess our faults so we can be healthy again (as if confession was a magic health care system.)
I believe he’s saying that when we confess our faults, our burdens will be lifted and we’ll be healed of our guilt and shame.
Along with the burden that will be lifted off our backs, we’ll also start to realize we’re not alone in our journey. People tend to come out of the woodwork admitting their own faults and guilt once one person has the courage to stand up and share their story.
Forgive others when they’re wrong
We all know that people make mistakes. Sometimes the mistakes may seem worse than others — and not surprisingly, we tend to believe what others do is always worse than anything we’ve done.
But when we remember we’re human too — and remember that we need forgiveness just like everyone else — it will make offering that hand of grace and forgiveness that much easier.
And… more often than not, I’ve found that the people I’m holding a grudge towards have absolutely no idea they’ve upset me. They’ve gone on living their life and I’m just filled with anger and bitterness towards them.
You’ll find that when you forgive someone, it’s not really about them — it’s about you.
You’ll find an amazing change within yourself when you stop carrying around your own bitterness and anger towards others.
So what are you holding on to that’s weighing you down?
What do you need to let go of to simplify your journey?
Amish for Homeland Security
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