Are you willing to unpack your suitcase?

Our blog has not been as often as we had expected it might be but we are still here and as we feel led to share something the Lord is teaching us we will continue to share with you. In the preceding months things have not been easy in the Kinkade household. The first half of 2010 has proven to be a challenge. We started with Emily's appendectomy surgery (and no health insurance) in February, followed almost immediately by David's gallbladder surgery in March. By the way, God provided for both of those surgeries in incredible ways...we will have to share those stories another time. Since then it has been just the usual life that everyone deals with...or do we deal with it?

When you go on vacation or a trip and come home with a suitcase full of dirty clothes and other things, how long does it sit around before it is unpacked and put away? Do you ever find that it unpacks itself the longer you let it sit there? Do you hope it will? What makes you finally give up and take care of it? Some of what David and I have been going through recently was unexpected to us, and yet, it shouldn't have been. When David and I first reunited it was such an amazing blessing. We were riding high on God's incredible gift of forgiveness and a second chance. Recently though, we haven't been feeling so high...more like draggin' our wagons! We've found that even though we have grown and learned so much from the valley that God brought us through , we are still the same people in many ways. Why? We've never unpacked our suitcases from our original journey. We still have the same old baggage. What a letdown. You mean we can't just leave that stuff behind...it comes with us forever more? Yes, until you unpack it!

Huh? How come? No fair! Why can't you unpack it for me? Hmmmmm... We're starting to sound like our kids. Yup, we're God's kids and sometimes we stomp and fuss just like our own children. Not pretty, but true. If any of you find yourselves dealing with similar problems over and over we would like to encourage you to unpack your bags. Go deep into that suitcase and find the dirtiest clothes. Don't be afraid...stop avoiding it. It isn't going to go away.

We can all point fingers at others or blame the circumstances we are in. That can seem so much easier than dealing with the 'dirty laundry' in the 'suitcase' but is it really? Don't you get tired of dragging it around everywhere? Unpack those dirty clothes. God will help you clean them, fold themm, and put them away. Oh, and be sure to unpack your own bag. Don't try and unpack someone else's. Only they can clean their own laundry with God's help. We can always support one another with unconditional love, grace and truth. We can and must help to make an environment of growth, especially for those we are closest to. Seek help, reach out. God did not design us to do life alone.

God is so amazing and He continues to teach us more and more about what it means to trust Him and follow Him. God brought David and I through a very dark time in our lives. What is so amazing though is that He loves us enough not to just leave us there. He still wants even more for us! He continues to work to mold us into the man and woman He created us to be. Thank you Lord!

Until next time we'll be doing some unpacking and cleaning a little laundry...how about you?