Are You Overpacked?

I have traveled a considerable amount over my lifetime and I have learned a very important lesson when it comes to packing my suitcases. If you pack a suitcase too full you may find it in pieces…..leaving you few options. You can put a special strap around it and hope the TSA inspectors put it back on correctly which, from my experience, is highly unlikely.  The second option is to unzip the “expansion” portion of your suitcase, which many people don’t use or realize they have. The problem with this technique is now your suitcase is overweight and you’re going to pay through the nose for the extra pounds and the baggage handlers will not g be kind to your bag. Here is my simple advice. Pack the suitcase for the designed volume and no more.

This leads me to talk about the real point of this article, overpacking life. It’s the subject of our memories and experiences. If you took psychology in college you know that your life experiences have a lot to do with who you have become. They shape your perception of life in general and how safe or dangerous your journey is and will be. These memories and experiences also shape what you think of yourself and of others.  Your education also has a part to play and can at times override your experiences or reinterpret them so they help you rather than hurt you. But what if your life experiences and your education don’t prepare you to handle life in a positive way? What if your life experiences prepared you more for a life of destruction and failure? These are the things I want to explore in order to help unravel some of the things that hinder us.

In the gospel of John, Jesus has this encounter with a woman who has had a hard life. We don’t know if the struggles were caused by her own bad judgements, the choices of others as she grew up or a combination of both. What we learn in short order is that she is somewhat of an outcast in society and the rejection of others caused her to labor in the heat of the day in order to avoid others performing the same task of collecting water. Many of us can relate to this feeling in our own lives.

John 4:4-10

He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

Many of you know this story so I won’t get into all the detail other than to say she was dealing with a lot. Her class of people, Samaritans, were not well liked or accepted. She had five marriages that failed and was now living with a man probably not for love but for survival. What caused this woman to have such a hard life is not disclosed. We don’t know how her father or mother treated her or if she had brothers who were mean as well. We don’t know if she was promiscuous or just got married to bad guys. What we do know is her life was hard and Jesus reached out to her. Can you still relate?  I can.

John 4:10-15 

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this is a very deep well. Where would you get this living water? ¹²And besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his cattle enjoyed?”

Jesus replied, “People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me some of that water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to haul water.”

When Susan and I got married we both brought “baggage” to our marriage.  Susan says I “overpacked” and thus brought more past struggles than she did. Truthfully, she is right. We don’t get to choose our parents, sisters and brothers, grandparents and the list goes on. What we do get to choose is how we will handle our life experiences and how we story those memories for future processing. Our perception of the past is even more important than the events themselves. That perception will either make or break our future potential.

What I have learned is that God is constantly reaching out to help us see our potential choices clearly rather than making more mistakes. Our mistakes need to be admitted and then released so that we can embrace the love of God and his healing power. I have often encountered people who have embraced Jesus Christ into their lives and yet still hold onto the pain and struggles of the past.  Instead of embracing God’s help we keep going around that same mountain of regret and pain, thinking it will do us good when it actually just keeps us bound to yesterday.

There was a prophet long ago that gave people the right perspective on dealing with their pain:

Joel 2:12-13 

This is what the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time! 

Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 

Don’t tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts.” 

Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. 

He is not easily angered. 

He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you. 

The point of this prophetic word is to stop going through your religious exercises that you hope will help you and instead take the walls down that protect your heart so God can do His healing work. Quoting scripture, going to bible study or church may be good exercises, but they won’t heal yesterdays wounds. Letting God heal us by touching our hearts will take the sorrow away and replace our desire to use our strength and ingenuity to cover up our brokenness.

My prayer today is for true healing to take place so that we can live as God intended.

Questions:

1) What “baggage” in our lives needs to be given to God to heal? Like the woman at the well, we can experience “Living Water”!

2) Will you take the walls of protection down so God can work a miracle? Healing starts when protection drops.

Embracing the love of Jesus today!

Pastor Dale