May 11, 2006

Baggage

Acts 9: 23-25: “After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.” -NIV

I had a friend once he was raised his entire life in a good christian home, he was in his early twenties and he had never "done anything wrong" he was a fine young man, didn't drink, didn't cuss, was still a virgin, was dating another fine young christian, when he played his guitar he didn't even know any Dylan tunes only christian ones. I on the other hand was in my mid thirties had already been married & divorced, had many other partners, had a life that included some time in jail, in short lots of baggage. This young man however looked up to me as one of a few he asked to mentor him. Others might have looked at us and said, "Who are you to mentor him. You have done horrible things in your past, you are lucky we even let you in our church.". Did I say some might have said? Well truth be told some actually did say it. Now at that time I had been following God for seven years but still my past was coming up as people were keeping a "close watch on the city gates" of my life. However others in the church understood that Christs forgiveness includes removing all our old luggage and even carrying us out WITH that luggage. They moved me to safety by talking to those that needed talking too and keeping them from interfereing. I was then free to continue working with him until he went to be with God, I believe the picture of Paul having to sneek out of town in a basket is appropriate because it was probably the exact same way that others were smuggled out to protect them from him when he was persecuting Christians. This reminder of his past would have done a good job of showing him that God will remove our baggage from us and carry us through the tough times to safety in spite of our past. That even the hard to understand portions of our past will be an important part of Gods work in carrying us.

We do not need to hold on to our luggage (this is one time we can be glad it is lost) but we need to know that even when it shows up again in our lives it does not need to be used to hurt us and it can be used to carry us to a place of even greater freedom.