Putting Away the Baggage
“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”
The prolific psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Jung admits, “The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.” Our life decisions are checkered at best. We can take comfort in knowing that we are not alone. Each of us has embarrassing, and even humiliating, skeletons in our inner closets. We must recognize that everyone has humiliating moments, and our embarrassments are not unique. The shame diminishes when we affirm that every person struggles with their pain-filled moments.
Yet just because others experience pain does not alleviate our suffering. Self-reflection hurts because we are imperfect. But God does not call us to an easy, emotionless life. Instead, God calls us to face our emotions directly. Socrates remains wise and inspirational almost 2,500 years later when he confirms, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” God calls us to examine our lives, warts and all, regularly, so we do not pile up emotional baggage that spills over onto others. When we bravely do our self-care, those around us are often the beneficiaries.
We benefit from self-reflection because the load gets lighter as we shed our emotional baggage. We relax as we reduce our anxiety. We can focus our thoughts and react intentionally to our hopes and desires, rather than reacting to the emotional whims of others or past slights. God regularly reaches out to us through the divine still small voice. When negative voices from our past fill our minds, there isn’t the headspace necessary to hear God.
The more scared we are, the more we need to listen to our emotions and face them head-on. Thankfully, we do not face our struggles alone. The Holy Spirit is present in and all around us. Yet, God does not manipulate our minds. God does not manipulate us through coercion. Instead, God listens and waits for a prayerful invitation to participate in our healing and emotional and spiritual growth. Take charge of your emotional and spiritual life by inviting the Holy Spirit to assist and guide your self-examination so that you can accept yourself completely. When you do, you will believe that God accepts you completely as well. Then, there will be no baggage left to hide.
