You Carry It Well

I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse, yet I hear it often when people find out how much I weigh…

Often the response will include the phrase, “You carry it well.”

That’s a nice thing to say I suppose.

Yet I’m not sure it’s a good thing is because it encourages me to do less about getting in better shape.

Since most of the weight I add is carried in my legs and uh… hindquarters I am less inclined to get proactive about getting fit.

Overall it’s a nice sentiment and I’m glad the opposite isn’t being said.

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This post is not about all that though.

It’s about trauma, scarring, and emotional baggage we all carry with us.

We all have a past and how we move forward with that past is what I want to talk about.

Whether your past is full of glory and heroics or hurt and pain, we all carry it forward with us.

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The Bible tells us about a man who wrestled with God and won, his name was Jacob.

He wouldn’t let God go until he was blessed and as a result he would always walk with a limp.

Jacob couldn’t hide his past.

People saw the physical evidence of it.

And what a story he had to share with them.

I have a friend who was blown up in Iraq.

He was brought back to life a couple different times while they treated him.

To this day he has missing fingers, shrapnel scarring, and other physical issues.

He can’t hide from his past.

Yet he’s so much more than his past.

His past hasn’t held him captive.

In fact, he’s built upon it and his past opens up doors for him in ministry.

God loves you and is well aware of your past.

He’s not asking that you deny your past exists, only that you leave it behind and move forward with Him.

When Jesus called His disciples they left everything to follow Him.

I seriously doubt they brought a tackle box with them on ministry trips.

Fishing was part of their past but it didn’t define them.

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How do you carry your past?

Do you cling to it, trying to relive your past victories?

Do you still walk around bitter and angry?

Maybe you walk in denial that any of it ever happened?

Our past tells part of the story, but it’s not the complete and full version.

Together with Him, you get to write the next chapter.

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