You know when you are preparing to move and you begin to look around town for boxes at grocery stores, big box stores, and even buy some from the rental truck place? You carefully pack things, wrapping precious items and momentos, and making sure that dishes, glasses, and cups are packed so they don’t break.
Near the end of the packing process are all the miscellaneous things that are not breakable, so you just throw them in a box and hope for the best. You are weary from the moving process and you just want to fill the truck and get them to the new place. Am I the only one???
Moving can be similar to our lives as we pack away past experiences in boxes, so we don’t have to deal with them, yet, we move them with us wherever we go. Our boxes are filled with abuse done to us, breakups, betrayals, deaths of loved ones, maybe a miscarried child, bullying when we were young, or even abortions, promiscuity, or incarceration. We can stuff the experiences as well at the emotions attached to them and wonder why we still suffer from the effects of them.
Look at the picture above and imagine how you would label each of the boxes with the experiences you have lived and “put away.” I believe that the only way we can heal from the past is to “unpack the boxes”, look at the contents square in the face, and realize that junk is the enemy’s hold on us. We can empty each box at the foot of the cross and let the Lord take it from there. We can walk away in freedom.
Our Chained No More Talk Radio guest, Tam Hodge, has done just that. She has a huge story of abuse, eating disorders, abortions, drugs, promiscuity, and being a homeless teen. She lived for years with box upon box piling up and they continued to affect her life no matter how hard she tried to ignore them. She has found great healing in Christ and His love for her. Ten years ago, she was hit out of the blue with a conviction to share her story. Her book is entitled, “And Now I Choose.” Tam Hodge will be on the show on Tuesday, October 27 at 2pm ET at www.toginet.com. It will be a powerfully moving hour. Later that day, you will be able to download the podcast of her interview at www.toginet.com/shows/chainednomore.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His lifeness wth ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2Cor.3:17,18
So, now look at the boxes above again, label them, open and unpack them in front of the cross. They will not have power over you unless you let them from that moment on. Even God can’t change the past, but He can change your future, if you will allow Him to. This is the first step, so get started!
#chainednomore #hope #godslove #freedom
“Visions of Him…Seeing God in Everyday Things” is a great devotional for you or those you care about, to help you look upward instead of what was past. Check it out at www.robynbministries.com/store Great idea for Christmas gifts!