What's In Your Suitcase?

My husband is such a hassle-free kind of guy and it shows in all he does.

One day we were traveling for a holiday with our then 4 year old triplets and he really disliked having to lug around tons of suitcases. On our previous trips I always packed:

• 1 large suitcase for Mom & 2 girls
• 1 large suitcase for dad & son (since it's half empty I'd throw in some favorite snacks & pool toys here)
• Each kid would have their own rolling pack with toys & entertainment for the plane
• 1 backpack for mom
• 1 backpack for dad
• 1 extra carry on with emergency clothes

I think that load is pretty reasonable for a family of 5 traveling for 10 days! He disagreed and considering poor dad was left to drag them all around airports and hotels while I herded kids and got us where we needed to be I decided to let him have it his way!

On the following trip we decided to head back to our honeymoon spot of Jamaica! Oh, how excited I was to be back and to share it with my then 5 year old kids! My loving husband reminded me about the horrible suitcase situation and challenged me to only use 1 large suitcase for the ENTIRE family!  It is here that God reminded me of the strain my poor husband went through with those bags! Ugh, so with a "smile" I said yes to both of them!

First things first! What do we NOT need to take!? I started taking out snacks (triplets are big enough to eat whatever is available), floaties (they knew how to swim now), blankies (big kids, no more need for those) & books (downloaded on ipads). Ok that's as good as it gets baby!!! Once I took these things off the list and realized that all I needed to pack was clothes....MY LIFE CHANGED!!!!!

No more carrying around loads of "things" that I may or may not need. "Things" that somehow brought a false sense of comfort. "Things" that caused distractions. "Things" that hindered us from moving freely. "Things" that tied us down. "Things" we held onto because of  dependency. What freedom!!!!!!

Once I sat there and stared at the empty suitcase on the floor and the mounds of clothes still to pack I realized.....we don't even "need" these mounds of clothes! 5 sundresses per girl, 2 bathing suits and tons of underwear! 4 shorts for boys, 5 shirts, 2 pool shorts and tons of underwear! There, we were packed!! AND GUESS WHAT....HALF THE SUITCASE WAS STILL EMPTY!

What a perspective on my life! Given the right direction, challenge and vision we can all leave "things" behind that no longer serve us! Matthew 11:30 tells us "For my yoke is easy and burden is LIGHT." So how many years, detours, frustrations and tears have these "things" caused us? My friends, how easily we get fooled into believing that we need anything other than God with us. We need to stop and inspect our suitcases!

These "things" we carry with us slow us on our JOURNEY because of their weight and keep us from our PURPOSE because of the fatigue caused by the weight. So why do we insist on lugging around  unforgiveness, hurts, bitterness, resentment and hate? Who is truly choosing to pack these things in our suitcase AND on top of that who is sitting on them to make it all fit?  The answer is us! We have the power to speak to that which we choose not to carry any longer!  

So take a moment today, inspect your suitcase and throw out what is not serving you on your journey! If it does not propel you forward it holds you back! SO GO UNPACK & TRAVEL LIGHT!!!!!!

Isaiah 58:8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind."


Psalm 30:2
O Lord my God, I cried to You and You have healed me.

Three Minutes...to change your life.

A few months ago we were challenged by our Pastor to share our lives testimony in three minutes or less. The prayer was to share our story and impact others through the journey we had each been on.
Though I had been doing it on a daily basis with individuals it took on a new life as I carefully crafted what God wanted me to share. You see, the devil had been after me since I was three years old and I spent most of my life pretending nothing was wrong. I had the world convinced but the world within me was crushed.

My life took so many twists and turns that there really was no real place to start. How do you bring someone in on a roller coaster ride that's already started? But that's just what God did. 12 years ago He stepped into my roller coaster and changed the course of my life. Not only did He free me from a past but prepared me for a future with a strength I had never known.

Two years after becoming a Christian my husband and I experienced the biggest blow yet. The difference this time was that the wind was knocked out of me but not the life! I knew the promises over my life and this was most definitely not the end! When I couldn't breath He breathed life into me! As I peel back all the layers.... I see the impact each layer has to those around me and the freedom in knowing they are not alone. And sometimes knowing that you are not alone is all that it takes.

 So today I freely share my "Three minute Testimony" and the intro goes something like this:


"Hi, my name is Bonnie and I'm a grateful believer in Jesus Christ. I am a survivor abuse, 12 years sober of chemical dependency and recovering from food addiction."
 
Of all the amazing and wonderful things we plan to do, say and risk in our lives this has been the most impactful in mine. Shedding light into what the enemy had wanted to keep in the dark and claiming freedom from a past that has nothing to do with my future.

What layer are you working on?

Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Matthew 4:4

I attended a new ministry at our church called Celebrate Recovery last night and found myself looking straight into a mirror. My husband told me I would. Have you ever had that moment when you’re minding your own business and doing things you know you “should” do and all of a sudden (ha, like things are by happenstance….nope!) you’re staring straight into a mirror at your own reflection!!! The last person I expected to meet there was myself!!!  The one thing I have learned in ministry is that by putting yourself in a world of serving others, you yourself also get served.

So right now, my busiest season with GodChicks right around the corner I start this journey. As I usually do around this time, I ask God to search me and help me bring to light whatever I’m trying to hide in darkness. Never an easy request but always a stretching, growing and beneficial one! So here I was, with my prayer once again and enter CR. In my studies I kept coming across the scripture Matthew 4:4 “We shall not live by bread alone but by the word of God.” So I was sinking deeper into his word and trying to find my life within it. Health and food challenges kept creeping up but I really bring it into focus yet.

For many years I have been under the wonderful leadership of my Senior Pastor Holly Wagner and her amazing journey to health after her breast cancer journey. Yes, I was taking vitamins and yes I had changed many bad health habits but had I really taken things to heart? Now I face myself in this mirror and the clear meaning of Matthew 4:4 ……what had I been living on all these years? Yes, I had always been the girl 25 pounds overweight and since the birth of my beautiful triplets it had only grown. The confidence I’ve always had in who I was now became my crutch and excuse to look at my health. So here I am. Exposed to you and the words I have written for you all you mommy’s to see. I can no longer live on the bread of this world and will feed on something sweeter. Catch me in a year….and hold me accountable and join me at Celebrate Recovery on Thursday nights at Oasis….maybe we can walk the journey together…..after all, don’t girls do everything together? ;)

Scriptures:

Matthew 4:4 (I don’t think I need much more for now)