picturesfromheaven

My husband and I have just come back from a vacation in the Smoky Mountains. It was a wonderful trip. We read...walked...reconnected with each other...played games...and drove through the mountains. But for me personally, it was also a time to reconnect with God. There has been so much stress, so much discouragement, so much stuff in my life that I had drifted in my relationship with God. I don't know if that ever happens to you. But it felt like I just couldn't take any more stuff...and then came time for our vacation. THANK GOD!!! It was just what I needed. I put down all of the baggage I had been carrying and hugged God. I let Him hug me. You might not be able to get away to the mountains, but you can still consciously put down your baggage and rest in God's embrace.

Picture…the Lord brought something to my remembrance. Sometimes I come into the office or house carrying a lot of stuff like my purse, briefcase, computer, bags, coat, gloves and, well, you name it. When my husband is at the church office or home before me he usually rises to hug me. But when I'm carrying all of this paraphernalia in my arms, the hug is kind of perfunctory. We do our best to embrace and then move on to whatever we need to do. But there are times, when I think to myself, "If I lay all of this stuff down, I could get a really good hug." I tell him, "Just a minute," and drop what I'm holding to reach out to him and we are able to give each other a good hug. When I drop everything, the hug becomes meaningful, a moment when we minister to one another.

Hear…the Lord say, "When you are carrying a lot of baggage, worries or concerns, I can't embrace you as I would like. We simply go through the motions, and that is not what you need. That is not what I need or want for you. Perfunctory embraces do not minister to you at your point of need. They are meaningless. Drop the baggage. It is only when you come to me, empty handed with open arms that our times together will be sweet.

Consider: So, just drop it. Let it go, so that the lover of your soul can truly embrace you. Let go of the baggage so that you can hug Him in return. In such an embrace, you will be ministering to the Lord of all glory as He ministers to you. But letting go is harder than it sounds. Years ago I learned of an effective monkey trap. All it involves is a jar like container that is tied to the ground, loaded with "monkey food," whatever that is. What makes this trap so effective is that the opening is just large enough for the monkey to slip in his hand. But small enough that the hand expanded with goodies cannot get out. The monkey will screech and holler while it yanks and tugs. What it won't do is let go of what is in his hand to secure his escape. He will not let go for his own freedom. What things are you having difficulty letting go? It may be an independent spirit that declares, I can do this by myself and I know what I'm doing and I can get this accomplished. But God is telling you, "No, drop it." He's not impressed with your agenda, goals, plans or what you hope to accomplish. He is looking for a heart that will just love Him. Let go of your independence, and choose dependency on Him. You may be carrying guilt, fear of failure, or confusion from past hurts. Whatever it is that you are carrying in your arms it is stopping you from entering God's embrace. Let go of past hurts by forgiving. Let go of what is truly petty and unimportant by prioritizing according to eternity's perspective. Let go of things that really don't belong to you anyway by remembering to whom they belong. Let go of what you are powerless to control by giving it to God in prayer. When you let go of everything that you are holding you can enter into the seclusion of His embrace where He can minister to you, touch you, and whisper words of love and longing. Let go.

Pray: "Lord, I truly long for your embrace. All of the things that have been going on in my life are really draining me of spiritual and emotional life. It's not really that I've wanted to hold on to them. I guess that is something that just comes naturally. I've been holding on to disappointment, frustration, hurt and a good bit of anger. I've never thought of myself as an angry person. But while you were talking to me just now, I recognized that is what I've become, because I've been holding onto things. I'm sorry about that. I really don't want to hold on to any of this junk. I choose right now to drop it. I am dropping it so that I can hug you…really hug you, and allow you to hug me back without the barrier of weights. I love you. I love your arms around about me. I love just being with you and hearing your voice. It is so sweet. It is so soothing. I love you."