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“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” ~ Proverbs 4: 23 Are you in bondage to your baggage? Are you carrying around the excess emotional weight of past hurts, trauma, or abuse? If so, listen up. You can check your baggage at the freedom counter and unload it once and for all! All of us carry emotional baggage from our past. Whether that baggage resulted from trauma, abuse, or some other family dysfunction, we have to deal with the baggage if we want to live the abundant life Christ died to give us. A common misconception about baggage is that born-again Christ-Followers do not have baggage. The truth, however, is that all of us have baggage. And that baggage hangs around in the soul. The first thing to understand is that you are made up of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. Your spirit is your core—who you truly are. Your soul comprises your mind, your will, and your emotions. Your body is what I like to call your “earth suit”. Emotional baggage is stored in the soul compartment. In other words, it is housed in your feelings, your thinking, and your decision-maker. If not dealt with, emotional baggage has a way of invading your physical body and causing ill health. So, how can you get rid of emotional baggage? Here are three ways that have worked for me: 1-Do not bury your feelings. Admit them. Being honest with yourself about your negative feelings is the starting point for getting rid of them. 2-Examine your attitudes. Are you guilty of “stinking thinking”? Do you complain and criticize? Do you focus on the negative instead of the positive? Christian motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said, "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude" in life. So, start thinking the way God thinks. Read Philippians 4: 8. 3-Give your baggage to God. He Himself said “Cast your cares on Me because I care for you.” Moreover, it is Jesus Himself who promises to restore your broken soul from the damage done to it (Psal 23: 3). As you give your baggage to Him, He will clean up and make your soul like new! So, what are you waiting for? Are you ready to unload your baggage? Are you ready to move forward with your life? With God's help, you ca let go of your emotional baggage once and for all and begin living the abundant life Jesus died to give you. The choice is entirely up to you!  "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." ~ Zig Ziglar Now, it’s YOUR turn:  Are you in bondage to your baggage? If so, what do you plan to do about it? Please leave your response in the Comment Box below. Thank you! TWEETABLE: “Are You in Bondage to Your Baggage?” by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio (Click to Tweet) Check out my 3-minute podcast on this week's topic below: Are You in Bondage to Your Baggage? http://maryanndiorio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017-03-20-MM-Podcast-9-Are-You-in-Bondage-to-Your-baggage_.mp3 If you found this post helpful, please forward it to a friend. Thank you! Check our archives in the right sidebar for older posts on a variety of topics. You may also search for a particular topic in the search box at the top right. Some of our most popular posts are: —How to Make Change Your Ally —Are You Playing the Blame Game? —Are You a Mess of Stress? For additional encouragement, check out my podcasts at the following links: A Moment with MaryAnn – Podcasts on Living the Good Life Winning with the Word Podcast Series Write Your Heart Out! – Podcasts for Writers NOTE: If you are struggling to know your purpose in life, I can help you! As a highly experienced Certified Life Coach, I will help you set priorities in line with your God-given purpose. For more information or to set up a phone appointment, please send me an email at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com. You’ll be taking a major step toward fulfilling your destiny! Please tell your family and friends about this blog and please pass this post on to ...