Iridescent...

"The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us." — C.S. Lewis

I'm not sure what I'm going for tonight. I had this whole great idea to come on and talk about triumph, but I'm guessing I'll just skip that part. See, I feel like I've been lying to myself for quite a while. I told myself months ago that I didn't have any baggage. My relationships (& I don't mean just romantic) have been very defensive on my part. I always felt I had to defend myself before it was too late. I usually walk away to cool off when someone yells at me or makes it a point to call me out rather than calmly discuss something. It's something I've always done. I probably inherited the trait from one of my parents. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, because a person needs to be calm to discuss something logically. So many nasty things can be said in the heat of an argument.

The truth is, I think everyone has baggage of some sort. There's hurt from before you carry in your heart that you've convinced yourself isn't there anymore. You've prayed your heart out asking for it to be taken away, and yet you think about it the next day, and even the day after that. So does it ever go away? I've often wondered that. I can think of quite a few things I was hot over years ago, and I let that anger burn inside me while the other person probably had no idea they had upset me. At one point, I didn't even want to go to the same church as this individual, because seeing them reminded me of that anger I held against them. I prayed constantly, and finally, let go of the issue it seemed. About 2 years ago, I happened to run into this individual as I was crossing the street. We said, "Hello" to each other. In fact, I even initiated the "hello". It was no longer there. I think about it now, and I feel so foolish for being so upset over what the contempt was for.

Baggage comes in a lot of different forms. There's stuff people blame on their parents, who let's face it, are human beings themselves. To be honest, I don't think I ever rebelled against my parents. I didn't always agree with them, but for the most part, I always tried to be respectful. The things parents do affect us for the rest of our lives, whether good or bad.

Some people blame their problems on God. Which I think is the biggest crock. If you wanna blame God for anything, anything at all, blame Him for loving you enough to give you a choice to either love Him or hate Him. Where I am spiritually is so iridescent right now. There's times I feel like I'm shining and on fire, while there's other times it doesn't seem to show.

The world has programmed everyone into thinking that only the "good" people get to go to Heaven, but that's definitely not true! Look at Christianity for a minute. When you hear the word, so many mixed emotions seem to come to you, don't they? There's been so many people who wore the label of "Christian" on their shoulder like it was a Boyscout merit badge they earned. There's been so many who blatantly seemed to give the word a black eye just for how they carried themselves or how they treated someone in an unloving way. I can say I'm not perfect. I've been very rude to certain individuals. I've done things that have hurt people, and even to the point where it becomes numbing, so much so that right & wrong became shades of grey, and it didn't seem so bad. It's when you have to come clean and accept that destiny without the help of a Higher Power is merely a flash in the pan.

I'm speaking from the heart right now to say that I don't have all the answers. I have baggage just like everyone else. But each new day brings a new, yet the same challenge. That challenge is to let go of all the circumstances, allow yourself to be vulnerable to what miracles God can work in your life, and take no steps backward.

I'm sorry to any individuals who I lead away from the truth, and ask for your forgiveness. How does this apply to me losing weight? Well, baggage is a good way to stuff your face. That much is for sure. So the idea of triumph happens when you give the situation over to God...

Adios & Vaya Con Dios...

Rich Jones
www.richjonescomedy.com

Proverbs 22:6 - “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”