Have you ever re-visited a place as a different person?
I never thought I would return to Gainesville, Georgia – where this crazy year began. Last August I went to a 10 day training camp for the World Race and the Lord started to open my eyes to more and more of his love and intentionality behind why he created Madison Goforth to be Madison Goforth.
Looking back on this past year I honestly didn’t think I grew THAT much. I knew I learned amazing things and saw amazing things; however, I didn’t feel like I was much different.
Then I stepped foot onto that campus a week ago and my transformation hit me like a bulldozer!
We got there right on time for the evening worship session, and to say I was LIT is an understatement. I was dancing and singing at the top of my lungs fierce and hard because I was flooded with so many memories of who I used to be.
I am different. I am the same, but different.
During one worship service the Lord brought to my mind Philippians 4:6 and a little image.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
All year we have been travelling around with BIG packs. My pack makes it difficult to do small things like raise my arms, dance, jump, bend over and even sit down. The pack is a huge burden. When you arrive at the airport and your parents meet you, the first thing you have to do before anything else is take off your pack and lay it down so you can give your parents a hug. You can’t give a hug with a load of luggage on your back.
It is the same way in our Spirit. God is the perfect Father that wants us to take off that baggage, give Him the biggest hug and then HE picks up the baggage for you. Baggage weighs you down where you can’t dance freely, you can’t walk freely and your constantly reminded of the load your carrying because it is constantly weighing you down. So what do we do with the things we are putting in our packs? Is it anxiety? Pride? Shame? Lust? Masurbation? Porn? Lying?
Start by taking your baggage off and presenting it to God. “Do not be anxious… but by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your request to God.” Our healing goes deeper than we think. After we take off our baggage and lay it at the feet of God, then he can fill us with his peace and his presence.
I am going to take this image a bit further. You just landed, and your Father is there waiting with a sign. You take your baggage off because you want to give him a hug, and then he says, “let’s go!”
HE picks up the luggage because he is a good Father and he puts it in the car because he never wants you to deal with it again. You jump in the passenger seat and he says, “alright honey, our destination is home, but is there anywhere else you want to stop by on the way?”
I say, “sure Dad! Let’s go get ice cream!”
The Lord wants you to co-create your life.
The purpose of the trip is clear… you are going home. So ask God what is your purpose? For me personally he has put a burning passion on my heart to seek out the lost. The people who are deep in sin, lost and have turned away from God. That’s my destination; however, I get to co-create with God how I get there. So I can reach the lost in Texas or across the world. I can even take a trip to California and do some touristy things like frolic under the Red Woods. That’s my ice cream stop. However, even when I stop for ice cream the Lord asks of me to be interruptible and love on people along the way.
Does this make sense? I think it’s so important because if we don’t know this we sit on our creativity that God gave us. He wants us to be apart. He wants us to be involved. He LOVES your ideas.
Ask the Lord right now if there is some type of baggage weighing you down. I want you to close your eyes and literally invision yourself taking it off your back and laying down at the feet of Jesus.
Now I want you to ask if you have turned off your creativity. If you have, ask the Lord to turn it back on. Ask him if there is something different he wants to do with you today. Maybe it’s an ice cream break.
