“Please bring your gently used items to the church’s yard sale.  We want to bless others within our community.”

Can you identify with a statement similar to that?  It may not even be for the church.  It could be for an employer, a friend, or a nearby thrift store.

You look over at the pile of clothes that you don’t wear, and you think about dropping them off, but then you decide otherwise.

You would rather take the items that you painted your house in, or the clothes that could honestly walk themselves to the trash can.

Are you selfish?  Are you constantly negative?  Are you always in a glass case of emotions?  Sweetheart, are you damaged goods?

I was in church on Sunday, and the message was titled, “Damaged People.”  It’s the second installment in our series, “Soul Food.”  I was compelled to break down some of the things I could identify with even within myself.  You know the things that keep me from moving to the next level:

Past Relationships (Friendship, Work, and Love): I had a very hard time with forgiving people.  I used to write them off as if they never existed to me.  I would write them off without forgiving them.  As if I didn’t learn some very valuable lessons from the encounter.  I had to let go.  I was CLEARLY DAMAGED, and didn’t want to admit it.

Changing Others Around You:  Guess what.  You don’t have the secret power or potion to do that.  They have to want it for themselves.  Our fitness coach is a constant reminder of that.  If I don’t want to lose the weight that’s on me.  I have to want it for myself.  The same goes for the people that you are keeping around you that are stagnant when you are trying to move forward.  Say it with me…real slow if you have to…DAM-A-GED.  Release yourself from the negativity, and keep it moving.

Stubbornness: Uh oh! **turns mirror on self** “I got this, I can only rely on me.”  <— how many times have you said that?  Be honest. Well, it’s not necessarily true.  Often times I find myself thinking like that, too.  People won’t know that you need anything unless you say something.  <—- Last line courtesy of my mother! 😉 There is something that happened to you in your past that when you feel your back is against the wall you feel that all you have is YOU.  Not true.  I’m sure God placed some amazing people in your path to assist along the journey in life.  Don’t abuse those people now.  Admit to them your shortcoming, basically that you’re DAMAGED, and you need help.

Whew chile.  Preaching to myself, but do you feel me?

I refuse to be in the throw away pile.  There’s someone counting on me, and it would be selfish of me not to deliver.  I have plenty of content to bring to the world, and I’m not about to stop now.

Don’t walk around carrying the baggage from your past.  Unless you prefer to continue clicking “Accept” for damaged goods, and if that’s the case, you are on the wrong page.

**No Pity Party Zone**

Xoxo,

R.J.