The Cage and the Key

Introduction: Baggage, Meditations, and Jesus

People carry around so much baggage all of the time. There is not a living soul who has not faced a difficult problem, with a terrifying solution. There is not one person who lived a completely stressless life. Even Jesus lived a stressful life. Stress and fear are not simple emotions. Are they even emotions at all? I, personally, would not consider myself to be an emotional being, however I do go on emotional roller coasters from time to time. Stress and fear do weird things to people.
    Just like the love of money, stress and fear make one forget the most important things in life. In most cases, stress can be misunderstood for fear. Stress is, by definition (yes I looked it up), a mental strain or tension resulting in a very demanding circumstance. Fear, by definition, is a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome. Fear and stress will linger longer in your mind than any other emotion. Sometimes, you don't even know it is there! They linger in the shadows of your mind, and build up little by little, then like a tiger attacking its prey, stress and fear will consume you, until there is nothing left. This is what baggage is. No, I am not taking about the kind you take on an airplane, I am taking about the kind of baggage that matters.      Sometimes, at least to me, it doesn't feel as if I have any, but when I come home from my trip, I realize that not only did I walk through my journey with it, but I also picked up a lot of souvenirs along the way. I may have just lost you there, but stay with me.
    This is an analogy to life. By "leaving" for the trip, that represents the day-to-day activities like work or school. By "souvenirs," I mean the issues we face everyday. For example, the computer breaking down when haven't saved your 3 page essay that you just finished, or your dog deciding to throw up on your bed when you are already late for work. Lastly, by "coming home," I mean reconnecting with yourself and with the one who waited for you all freaking day just to talk to you no matter how horrible your day was, Jesus.      Baggage is nothing but a pile of burdens, one that you don't have to carry alone. Psalms 81: 6-7, "I remove the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket. In your distress I called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah."
    God will remove YOUR baggage, if YOU LET him. However, he won't do it UNLESS YOU LET HIM. In this book, I am not trying to convert you into a Christian, but I am going to show you how to live a stress-free life.
    Think of yourself in a cage. An old, rusty cage that you were born in, and you haven't placed one toe outside of it's metal bars. That's what life without God is like. If you haven't met my God, you are in a mental/spiritual cage. I am handing you the keys to unlock yourself, but I am not going to do it for you. That choice is yours. The choice to stay locked up inside the cage until it is too late, or to let yourself open the cage and run freely. It is 100% completely your decision. All I ask is for you to read this book, and think about it. Christians over time have gotten the reputation of being stubborn and judgmental, but give us a fair chance. Give me a fair chance to prove to you that everything you carry, all of your baggage, is temporary.