Phase 2 of The House Behind The Trees ~ The downstairs #TeelsBuildaHouse

So we are starting the downstairs ... I HATE to say basement because we had a basement in our old home, where you opened a door and went down stairs separated from anything else. It was a finished basement complete with a bedroom, craft room, family/game room and we spent a lot of time there ~ our oldest son moved down there in jr high and stayed through high school ... until we finished the master suite in the attic then he moved back up to the bedroom floor with his brother and sister.  So here our downstairs is open to the rest of the house, you can see through to the outside from the top of the stairs going down because we have a wall of windows down there as well.  We really didn't plan to have a kiddo down there but since we are having to do a switch-a-roo with rooms (I'll explain later) he is moving home soon and will be downstairs. Anyhoo, our downstairs will house our main family room, our middle sons room, a full bath and kitchenette.  I thought it would be fun ...

Drop Your Baggage

“...let us strip off every weight that slows us down...” Hebrews 12:1

What’s happened in your past is not nearly as important as what is in your future. Where you’re going is much more significant than where you’ve been, however, if you stay focused on the past, you’ll get stuck where you are. This is the reason a lot of people don’t have joy or enthusiasm for life. They’re dragging around all of this negative baggage from the past. Somebody offended them last week, and they’ve got that stuffed in their resentment bag. Last month, they lost their temper and said some things they shouldn’t have. They’ve got that in their guilt and condemnation bag. Ten years ago, they lost a loved one. They still don’t understand it. They’ve got that hurt and pain in their disappointment bag. They carry around their bag of regrets, all the things they wished they would have done differently.

Life is too short to live that way. Learn to travel light. Every morning when you first get up, forgive the people that did you wrong the day before. Forgive your spouse for what they said. At the start of the day, let go of the disappointments, the setbacks from yesterday. Start every morning fresh and new. God did not create you to carry around all that baggage. Let it go and move forward in the life of blessing He has in store for you!

Father, today I choose to travel light. I choose to shake off the past, shake off disappointment and forgive those who have hurt me. Heal my heart as I release everything that would try to hold me back in Jesus’ name! Amen.

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