Running away from what you're carrying inside

Where are you going, what are you hoping to find, and is your load too heavy to get there? I wonder how many know the answer to those questions.

We possibly think we know exactly where we're going, and believe that our problems will be solved when our destination is reached. We also might fail to recognize that reaching the end of our journey may not be that easy. We may have become frustrated with what's going on within our lives and hope that running away will be the answer. There, we can leave our past, purchase a new home and make different friends. "Whew," we breathe, take a deep breath, and excitedly begin our travels. Or, we may be, merely, moving across town.

What is the reason we've chosen to start anew? Is it to get away from some seemingly insurmountable situations at home, or is it that we harbor a grudge against someone? We hope running away will heal an unsolvable relationship challenge. If our lives are in turmoil, and filled with unhappiness, maybe we need to examine what's inside us, and ask, "Are we taking what we need, or are we carting too much baggage. Is what we're carrying just right, or is the substance and amount too heavy?" So we scrutinize what's" waiting to be loaded. "It looks like I have everything," you say to yourself. But, did we check into what's hidden inside us. Will it make the trip, stand all the bumps in the road." Maybe, we'd better it check out.

We begin our trip to whatever destination we're headed. First everything is fresh. We savor the beauty of the season, as we pass through the roads, waterways, or even, the sky.

Things are well for a while. We've packed just the right amount for our mode of transportation. We're moving along, fitting ourselves in among the environment, and feeling good. We arrive at our intended spot and become settled in. We know we've made the right decision. Now we'll be happy. Soon after that, though, we find ourselves feeling, not so good. The outside environment is beautiful, neighbors are friendly and nice, and all seems to be going as we planned. Yet, as more time passes, our lightness of spirit seems to fall. In its place a heavy curtain falls inside us. Our happiness is marred. "What can we do," we frantically ask? "There's nothing wrong on the outside of my life. All is well. I must look elsewhere." Then we begin our inner search into the why of our thirst.

As we begin to dip into our inner well of self, we find that it is empty. It's too dry to pull up by a rope, yet too heavy to lift, so we drop it and it sinks farther down into the well and we cannot reach it. Rather than lift our spirits and quince our thirst, nothing seems to cure. How do we get that special water? How do we acquire it so we can feel good again?

Stop running from what's within and put God in control. He is the "living water" that sustains us. I'm talking about the inner load we've carried on the journey--the feelings from which we're are running--anger, pride, disrespect, unforgiveness, and other vices to which human nature is drawn. Perhaps we've lost someone we love, or we're the victim of a serious illness. We're worried and scared. If all isn't well within our spirit, nothing else seems to matter. Wherever we go, that part of us goes, as well, and our pleasure and joy are absent, until the heart is cleansed.

Regardless of where our pain lies, Joshua 1:9 says "Have not I commanded you, be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be dismayed: for thy God is with you wherever you goest." Our worst enemy lies within us. We can't run away but we must face what's inside.