This blog is a bible study blog with questioning written into the intro. It has a ton of emotional baggage.The emotions are to do with past relationships, the end of childhood, holding onto love and loss, homelessness, spirituality and the bible and how we act out these emotions when we don’t let them go. The photos in no particular order represent these emotions.
Baggage is a thing that can either hinder you or help you as you strive to make improvements in your life. Burdens, disappointments, and memories of the past can have crippling effects or they can be used to propel us onward and upward in our journey toward becoming the man God has called us to be. Today, we’re going to see what baggage is and isn’t, how it affects us and why it’s important to deal with it.
Baggage is not usually a topic for casual conversation. When someone finds out about your past, the shame you felt, or the things you have done, it can feel like a heavy burden. It’s not your fault that you have baggage; blame it on our sinful nature. God is in the business of setting people free. In this Bible study on baggage, I am going to go into how we get baggage and how we can be freed from it.
Bible Study On Baggage
When you think of “baggage,” you probably think of a suitcase full of clothes and toiletries. But baggage can also refer to the emotional and psychological effects of past experiences—the scars that we carry with us, even if they’re not visible on the outside.
We all have baggage, and it holds us back from being our best selves. When we feel like we’re carrying too much weight, it’s important to get rid of some of that baggage so we can move forward with confidence.
In this Bible study, I’ll share five steps you can take to start shedding some unneeded baggage and becoming a more whole person.
Baggage is a problem that many people face. Some of us have baggage with our parents, some of us have baggage with our siblings, and some of us have baggage with our spouses or significant others. But no matter what kind of baggage you’re dealing with, it can be difficult to deal with and move on from.
In this Bible study, we’re going to look at how Jesus dealt with his own baggae: his earthly father. As we read through the story of the rich young ruler and how Jesus responded to him, we’ll see that Jesus was able to help him deal with his baggage and move on in life.
In the Bible, we have many examples of people who are burdened by their past.
The prophet Jeremiah says that he had a yoke around his neck and he wasn’t able to get rid of it (Jeremiah 27:2).
King David was burdened by his past sins, even though God forgave him (Psalm 32:1-5).
Even Jesus Christ was burdened by our sins, which He carried for us on His cross (Isaiah 53:4).
The truth is, when we allow ourselves to be burdened by our past mistakes or failures, we are missing out on the best part of life—the forgiveness of God and the grace He gives us through Jesus Christ.
The Bible is full of stories about people who are carrying baggage.
From King David to Paul the Apostle, we see characters who have been hurt by others, and who have hurt others in return.
We also see many examples of people who are willing to forgive—not only forgiving others for their harmful actions, but also forgiving themselves when they’ve done wrong.
This week, let’s take a look at how the Bible can help us unpack the emotional baggage that weighs us down and instead learn how to forgive ourselves and others.
The baggage you carry can weigh you down, but it doesn’t have to.
In this week’s study, we’ll be looking at how Jesus came to earth bearing the burden of our sins—and how he invites us to do the same.
Jesus never asked us to take on the sins of others; rather, he calls us to take responsibility for our own sins and be free of them. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, he forgives us and frees us from the burden of sin so that we can walk in purity and freedom.
Leaving Your Baggage Behind
Philippians 3:12-16: Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
We who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior have been assigned a purpose that requires that we are moving forward in progressing toward our spiritual maturity. As we move on from stage to stage, year after year, we find that goal that God has for us is to finish our journey in this life with Him. The challenge for us in moving forward with the Lord is knowing when and what luggage in our lives must be left behind or discarded from us. These things have no positive place in the dominance of our minds or our emotions.
We all have relationships, experiences, and troubles in life that are at times very painful and even damaging to us and we find it difficult move on because of the negative impact that these things have had on us. They pull us down or weigh us down in our pursuit of God’s will for our lives. As a result, we live with certain feelings, patterns of thinking and relational conflicts that should not have continuous holds upon our present lives. They do not relate to the present or the future, but to issues from a previous time in our lives. Because we never properly dealt with these issues, we tend to carry them with us in some way and they get in the way of present relationships, present choices, opportunities, or our ability to set and stick to our present goals. The tragedy for some is that this cycle of bondage (negative baggage) that we continue to carry with us does not go away until we choose to deal with it or be finished with it as a part of our lives.
God’s ways are not our ways, but God’s ways will always deliver us when we walk in accordance to His counsel from the Word:
- Admit that there is luggage from the past and be willing to confess it to be what it is. If there is past luggage that affects your present, denying it is really a form of lying to yourself and God. Truthfulness about it breaks any justification as to why we should continue to carry them any further in our lives.
- Confidently receive God’s forgiveness if this luggage is a matter of the pain from our personal failure. Leaving this kind of baggage behind means we are fully convinced by God’s authority that we are totally accepted, forgiven and loved.
- Be willing to forgive others with a surrendered heart that is open to God’s help. Unforgiveness of the past blocks our experience of His will in the present. Release the past offender and yield your pain to God for His healing and freedom to move on to lay hold to the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
- Get spiritually mature, godly, and even professional help to heal if you are stuck in deep heart turmoil. Keeping pain from the past active can be self-destructive to our physical and spiritual health and well- being.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know you have called me to live as a light in this world to reveal You. Please help me to break from the painful bondage of my past issues so that I can live in the full energy and freedom to pursue your goals for my life. I will give You praise and thanks, in Jesus Name, amen.
Let Go of Emotional Baggage
Baggage comes in two forms: the physical stuff you pack into luggage or backpacks, and the emotional stuff you pack away inside of you. My husband and I just returned from vacation and packing extra hiking gear and having an extra piece of baggage got me thinking about the extra emotional baggage we (including myself) carry around every day. We lug around past mistakes, abuses, anger, stress, worry, fear; you name it. It is unnecessary weight and can come with consequences. God doesn’t want us to carry these burdens. How can we let go of emotional baggage?
Emotional Baggage Definition
Here’s a definition from the Collins Dictionary that sums up our emotional baggage: “the feelings you have about your past and the things that have happened to you, which often have a negative effect on your behavior and attitudes.” We pack them as soon as our hurts and conflicts remain unresolved.
The first step? Open that bag and see what unresolved stuff we’ve packed away.
- Has part of your world has fallen apart?
- Do unpleasant memories keep popping up?
- Has someone hurt you with words or actions?
- Do you feel ashamed or misunderstood?
- Are there unresolved conflicts or reoccurring fears/worries that cause anxiety?
- Is it hard for you to forgive yourself for past mistakes?
Unresolved Emotions
Emotional baggage weighs us down and can be barriers to the life God wants us to live. He wants us to experience joy and hope, not conflict and pain. Worry and fear can trap us in a vicious circle and steal our joy. Living in anger is a festering poison. Unresolved emotional baggage can have a detrimental effect on our physical health as well. Anxiety, insomnia, depression, headaches, chronic pain, and high blood pressure are just a few ways they can manifest themselves.
Releasing Emotional Baggage
God wants to take that emotional baggage from you. He has seen you in the hard places and he has heard every unkind word spoken to you. God knows your secrets and what you’ve been through. He knows it all and loves you wholly and unconditionally. God is the only person who will never leave us or turn his back on us.
“God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’” Hebrews 13:5 NLT.
Bring your emotions to God instead of packing them into your emotional baggage.
He gave us our emotions and would love to see us use them in the correct way. He wants to work in us and direct us. It is God’s desire to comfort and reassure us. He wants us to work through tough emotions, not pack them away for later.
“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Mt 11:28 NIV.
Giving Your Burdens to God
Speak to him about it. Ask for his insight. Pray for guidance. Unpack the burden and see yourself placing it in his outstretched hands. Remind yourself that he is in control. He promises to “sustain you” when you give him your burden. “Sustain” means he wants to comfort, help, assist, encourage, support, and strengthen you!
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.” Psalm 55:22 NIV
Refuse to pack stress and worry.
They don’t help you achieve your goals and they don’t change the outcome or prevent bad situations. Don’t give them a place to live in your heart or mind. God wants to live there. Don’t squeeze him out.
“I tell you, do not worry about your life…. Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “ Mt 6: 25-27
Don’t Live in the Past
Confess past mistakes, receive forgiveness and move forward.
He doesn’t want us living in the past. He wants his peace to cover us completely and heal our hurts and regrets.
“If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” 1 John 1:9
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Isaiah 43:18 NIV
Managing Your Emotions
Jesus gives us a great example of how to manage our emotions.
His human nature struggled on his last night with the events he knew were ahead. He spent that time with his closest friends on earth. Sorrow and agony overwhelmed Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.
•He took Peter, James, and John and went to pray privately to His Father.
Do you isolate yourself in times of trouble?
•Jesus shows us that after going to our Father, we should turn to our trusted friends.
Christians aren’t meant to live in isolation. Ask for prayer, encouragement, and reassurance. Share what’s going on, ask for help.
“Carry each other’s burdens.” Galatians 6:2
“Comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2Cor 1:4
•And like Jesus, pray, and keep praying.
Three times that night Jesus prayed the same prayer to his Father. He poured himself out to him. It wasn’t easy, but he did not stop. He recognized that he needed to rely on his Father. Imagine how different managing our emotions would be if we did likewise. God hears our prayers!
Jesus tells us “in this world you will have trouble.” Expect it but remember the beautiful promise that comes next! “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) He wants us to face our problems with courage and strength.
Claim his peace for your life and let go of your emotional baggage!