Hey bag lady, I’m talking to you. Yes, you! The one with all of those bags. It’s no wonder you’re hurting, you’re carrying too much stuff! It’s no wonder you have yet to receive your calling, your hands are full. How can you get anywhere in life carrying all those bags? What bags, you say? The ones you have carried throughout your life, from situation to situation, relationship to relationship, chapter to chapter. The ones that were created in your youth (or even recently), but instead of finding ways to let them go, you’ve grown accustomed to holding on. I see that bag full of insecurity and low self-esteem. Don’t try to hide it now, I can see how it’s weighing you down. But don’t be ashamed, we’ve all been there before. I just want to tell you that it’s time to let go. It’s time to start seeing yourself through the eyes of our Creator (Psalm 139:14). You are a child of the Most High and it’s time to start holding your head high. That bag full of insecurity and low self-esteem, there’s no room for it where you are going.
Now what about that bag right there? Come on girl, don’t try to hide that one either! I see what’s in that bag. That bag is filled with depression and anxiety. You’re not really sure how that got in there, but you just know you have it and you’ve gotten used to carrying it. When’s the last time you even looked in that bag? It’s time to tackle what’s in there as well, you’ve held onto it for too long. I know someone who can help you, but you have to be willing to open up that bag and pour what’s in there at His feet (Psalm 34:17-18; 1 Peter 5:7). He wants to help you because He has some great things in store for you, but He needs you to let go. That bag full of depression and anxiety, there’s no room for it where you are going.
We can’t overlook that bag right there! I know that bag too well; it’s filled with fear. No need to hide it because it’s as big as day! That one looks too heavy and I’m not sure how you’ve been able to carry that one with all the others. Your insecurity has now manifested itself in your life as fear. You’ve been carrying around the bag full of insecurity and low self-esteem for so long, that you’ve had to get a new bag to put in the fear. I get it. I’ve been there. You’re afraid of the unknown, you’re afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone, you’re afraid of what others will think, you’re afraid to just be you. It terrifies you to think about the possibilities God has for you, so you hide. You don’t think God can help you with your fear so you’ve stuffed it in that bag and the more you’ve stuffed the more it has grown. It’s time to stop stuffing and time to stop hiding (2 Timothy 1:7). You’ve been called for a greater purpose. You weren’t designed to be beaten up by life, you were designed to conquer! That bag full of fear, there’s no room for it where you are going.
Girl, bring that next bag to the front! You should be used to this by now, we’re doing some spring cleaning! Ahh, yes! That bag right there! I can see what’s in there from here – that bag is filled with rejection. You may have been let down and rejected by your mother, father, friend, boyfriend, whomever in your life that you trusted. That spirit of rejection hasn’t left you and you still feel the hurt and pain. You thought you got over it, but you didn’t. Those subliminal Facebook statuses and Twitter updates have manifested themselves into that bag right there, you’re still holding on. Yes, rejection is a tough thing, it’s hard to deal with someone you love or care about not reciprocating those feelings to you and turning their back on you. While that is difficult, you know who won’t reject you? Who will never turn their back on you and who will always be there for you with open arms (Psalm 27:10)? He’s waiting right now, but you can’t receive Him and the healing He has because you’re holding onto those bags. That bag right there, full of rejection and hurt, there’s no room for it where you are going.
You’re doing good so far bag lady! One more bag! Bring that last bag to the front. You don’t even have to tell me what’s in it, I already know. It’s defeat and failure in that bag. You’ve made some choices in your life that you aren’t proud of and I’m sure some in your family have also expressed their feelings and opinions about your choices. Your life may not look like you envisioned as a child, but you aren’t defeated. You may have made some bad choices in your life, but you are not a failure. I mean you’ve been carrying these heavy bags all this time, so there’s a fighter in there somewhere! What the devil meant for evil and defeat in your life, God can turn it around for your good (Ephesians 6:10). You have to believe that there’s a testimony in the storm. Your Heavenly Father says you are a winner, you are a conqueror and an overcomer. It’s time to empty that bag filled with defeat and failure, there’s no room for it where you are going.
God wants you to know that He has so much in store for your life and it’s not too late. In fact you’re right on time! It’s time to let go of those bags that are weighing you down. Your hands and your heart are completely full of things the Lord did not give you. He didn’t tell you to hold onto those things, you did! There is no room for those bags filled with insecurity and low self-esteem, depression and anxiety, fear, rejection, defeat and failure where you are going. It’s time to let them go. He wants to fill you with the fruits of His spirit. He wants you to receive the purpose He has over your life. There’s one condition though – the purpose you are destined to fulfill has a bag limit and the bags you are carrying don’t meet the weight requirements. Your purpose has a ‘one bag only’ limit and it must be empty and ready to be filled, but not with more of your junk. You have to leave your bags filled with all that junk at His feet in exchange for an empty vessel ready and willing to be filled by Him and Him alone.
So, are you tired of being a bag lady? If you are wondering why you have yet to reach new heights in your life or why you have yet to receive the blessings God has promised, it’s time to take inventory of your bags. How can God bless you with anything new in your life when you’re still holding onto the old? It’s so many women who are stuck and have yet to live out their fullest potential, have yet to utilize their gifts and have yet to truly receive the calling on their life. God won’t bless us with anything new while our hands are full with the old. He doesn’t want you to mess up the beautiful blessings He has for you with that old mess you still carry! God has a plan for your life – a plan to give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Romans 11:29 reminds us that the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable – this means they cannot be changed or reversed. Once you have them they are yours to fulfill. So, those bags filled with the different hurts in your life cannot coexist with the gifts and the calling of God. Those bags are not your life, they are not what God has intended for your life to be. So, are you tired of being a bag lady or nah?
Until next time…
