I’ve always been intrigued by Erykah Badu‘s song “Bag Lady”. Many of us sing it, and we know the song backward and forward. The lyrics basically discuss a woman’s inability to move forward in life or have meaningful relationships, because she is loaded down with sooooo much BAGGAGE! One of my favorite lines of her song says this: “Bag lady you gone miss your bus, you can’t hurry up, cause you got too much stuff…..”
Just prior to this verse Sista Badu issued a warning to this lady saying: “One day all them bags gone get in your way…..”
And finally the Lyricist offered a phrase of advice in this, telling this lady to “pack light” if she intended for anything to get better. I’ve often thought to myself, “WOW, what awesome advice!” when I’ve considered the message of this song. But recently, God redirected my attention to another song that I believe will SATISFY the soul, and not simply pacify the moment.
The other day during my prayer time a song erupted in my spirit, and the Holy Spirit began to usher into my heart the lyrics to the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. As I lied in my prayer closet the timeless words leaped out to me like never before. God began to speak to me about why so many of us struggle to keep walking, always tripping…and falling…and scrapping up our hands and knees…and for some, stopping all together! Like Sista Badu, God also spoke about all the “STUFF” we have to deal with day in and day out…all the muck and the mire that we pick up each day, and pack into our day bags to carry around with us as we go about trying to live. But unlike Ms. Badu, who said “I guess nobody ever told you, all you must hold on to, is you, is you, is you” as the reason why she/we mistakenly carry these extra bags, God said NO!!! He said tell them that our loads are rough for this reason alone…”because we do not carry EVERYTHING to God in PRAYER!!!”
In this season in my life I feel like God has been dealing with me on this very subject…about all the extra stuff I was carrying, how it has been hindering me in getting to his already ordered destiny for my life, and how to get rid of it! Most of what I write to you are lessons I had to learn in the recent days/weeks/months of my life. And BY FAR one of the MOST IMPORTANT lessons God revealed to me very early in 2015 is this…PRAYER CHANGES THINGS, and if you don’t seek God in prayer NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE! God led me to my now favorite verse…which, to me, carries the answer to every single problem you and I will ever face…2 Chronicles 7:14!
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
THAT’S IT…..THAT’S ALL…THAT’S EVERYTHING!!!!
Since I began having an intentional, dedicated, consecrated, before I do ANYTHING else time with God, based off of 2 Chronicles 7:14, my healing journey has gotten easier to walk. No, it’s not perfect…No, it’s not without burden or struggle (I’m praying through a BIG trial right now)…No, it’s definitely not over….But it is easier, because I gave ALL of my bags to baggage claim with no desire to ever retrieve them again!!!
Although I really like Erykah Badu’s song “Bag Lady”, may I please invite you to digest God’s version instead?! You don’t have to struggle alone on the journey to healing. As a matter of fact, I’m finding that if you lighten up your load, you’ll see that the journey itself will become easier to navigate…with God as the Pilot.
“What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!”
I pray today’s blog blesses you. If so, please consider sharing it with someone else who is carrying too much of a heavy load.
Until next time, Be Blessed Hearts
TTYS
Lisa
healinghearts614 