Only Carry What’s Important

You’re holding onto too many bags.

I see you over there, weighted down, bogged down and barely able to move, and I wanted to let you know that I’ve been there too, and do you know what I figured out was the problem? I was simply holding onto too many bags.

It’s not a race. It’s a not a competition. It’s not a sport.

There’s no trophy. There’s no medal. There’s no tape at the end with people waiting with signs and balloons to cheer for you because you did the most amount of things in 24 hours.

You’re holding onto too many bags.

And obviously, you’re worn out by it, and stressed out by it, and you’re missing some of the best parts of life because if it.

It’s really hard to dance when you’re weighted down. It’s really hard to fly when you’re shackled to so much stuff.

Some bags have to stay. Some you can’t afford to drop, but some of them...well, they need to go.

- Worrying why somebody doesn’t like you? Put that bag down.

- Holding onto that one thing that one person did six months ago? Drop it.

- Staying angry at something somebody did that they honestly probably aren’t even aware of? Talk to them about it, forgive them, and then trash it.

- Saying yes to things you hate just because you’re too worried you’ll look bad if you say no? Garbage.

- Comparing your life to what you assume someone else’s is like? Absolutely, without a doubt, place that bag on the ground and leave it there.

- Consuming yourself with wondering why that one group doesn’t include you? Nope, not today, Satan.

- Wishing you could go back and change the past? Walk away.

- Worrying about the future? Run away, girl. Run away fast. Worrying won’t change one thing, but it’ll take today from you if you let it.

- Hanging onto that one thing somebody said about you that one time? Down. Throw the bag down.

- Believing you’re only worthwhile if you are everything to everyone every second of every day? Back away from the bag.

- Playing keep up? Convincing yourself you’ll just never survive if you don’t have the latest and greatest and whatever it is that everyone else is buying? That bag doesn’t belong in your arms.

- In too big of a hurry to pause and enjoy your kids, your spouse, your friends, your talents, the day-to-day, simple, mundane, but beautiful pieces of your life? That’s the biggest bag of all, and you’ve gotta let go. You just do.

I don’t know what you’re carrying.

I have not the slightest clue. It may be a season where your arms are fundamentally full full-time, and there’s not one thing you can do about it, except pray God gives you strength to make it through (which He will.) I hope you’ll open up to someone and let them shoulder some of the weight. I hope you’ll give someone the blessing of being there for you in your time of need.

But if you’re anything like me, and I have a feeling you probably are, sometimes we just get anxious and stressed out and we just start grabbing bags at random and clutching to them like crazy, when they are in fact, the very thing that’s robbing us of our life.

You can’t do it all.

You can’t be it all.

You can’t carry it all.

Do what you can.

Be who you are.

Only carry what’s important.

And put the rest of the bags down.