What's inside the Bags?

Chapter 2

 

"Here comes a young mother. With one hand she leads a child; with the other she drags her load, bumpy and heavy.

 

Here comes an old man, face ravined with wrinkles. His trash sack is so long it hits the back of his legs as he walks. He glaces at the woman and tries to smile. 

 

What weight would he be carrying? she wonders as he passes.

 

'Regrets'

 

She turns to see who spoke. Beside her on the bench sits a man. Tall, with angular cheeks and bright, kind eyes. Like hers, his jeans are mud stained. Unlike hers, his shoulders are straight.  

 

He wears a T-Shirt and baseball cap. She looks around for his trash but doesn't see it.

 

He watches the old man disappear as he explains, 'As a young father, he worked many hours and neglected his family. His children don't love Him. His sack is full, full of regrets.'

 

She doesn't respond. And when she doesn't, he does.

 

'And yours?'

 

'Mine?' she asks looking at him.

 

'Shame.' His voice is gentle, compassionate.

 

She still doesn't speak, but neither does she turn away.

 

'Too many hours in the wrong arms. Last year. Last night. . . shame.'"

  

I love the way that Max Lucado writes. It is just so powerful, thoughtful even.

 

So the story continues. This time, another woman is the subject. A young mother.

 

The chapter goes on talking about loneliness, worry, pain, resentment and revenge, and failures.

 

I love this part of the loneliness section:

"Loneliness. It's a cry. A moan, a wail. It's a gasp whose origin is the recesses of our souls. Can you hear it? The abandoned child. The divorcee. The quiet home. The empty mailbox. The long days. The longer nights. The one-night stand. The forgotten birthday. The silent phone. . . Listen again. Tune out the traffic and turn down the TV. The cry is there."

 

People all over are lonely. They feel cut off from people or God.

 

What about worry? Lucado explains the meaning of worry. He tells us that "worry divides the mind. The biblical word for worry (merimnao) is a compound of two Greek words, merizo ('to divide') and nous ('the mind')." Our minds are in two different places when we worry. We are thinking on what needs to be done now. Then we worry about things that haven't come yet.

 

For example: 

Present. I'm worried about money. Future. I'm worried that I will never marry.

Present. I'm worried I won't go back to school. Future. I'm worried that will effect my family.

 

Worry. Matthew 6:27 (NCV)

 

Pain.

 

"Part of you is broken, and the other part is bitter. Part of you wants to cry, and part of you wants to fight. The tears you cry are hot because they come from your heart, and there is a fire burning in your heart. It's the fire of anger. It's blazing. It's consuming.  It's flames leap up under a steaming pot of revenge."

 

Lance Armstrong said, "Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place."

 

I don't know. Life is throwing me some screwy curve balls right now. It's kind of annoying. But prayer is weaving it's way back into my life and I'm looking forward to seeing what that will bring. More hardships? Or blessings? We will see, I suppose.

 

Until Chapter 3. . . .