Baggage, Rubbish, and Other Stuff to Let Go: Pack Rat Confessions
- S. M. G.
- Jun 4, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
originally published September 22, 2018
Turns out, the heaviest things we carried weren’t in the truck. Liberia, Costa Rica This is hard for me to admit…but I am a pack rat. Before moving abroad, my husband and I went through a dozen cycles of purging, selling, donating, and giving away belongings. And yet, much of my stuff was still boxed, brand new, and tagged.
Years of possessions accumulated: shoes and outfits for “special occasions” that never came, appliances for problems I never encountered, purses, accessories, and books I had outgrown or lost interest in. Closets, a two-car garage, and even a storage unit were overflowing. I convinced myself that collecting all this stuff meant I was preparing for life’s challenges. But the truth is, to truly move forward, I had to let it all go.
Faith Lesson #1: Letting Go is an Act of Faith
Holding on to what we think keeps us safe often limits us spiritually and emotionally. God calls us to release control, trust His timing, and step boldly into freedom. Letting go of physical and emotional baggage creates space for growth, blessings, and purpose.
Holding tightly to our stuff can feel comforting—it creates an illusion of safety and control. From pacifiers to blankets to stuffed animals, we’ve been socialized to self-soothe with things since birth. Yet the baggage we carry is rarely just material.
Faith Lesson #2: Material Possessions Do Not Define You
Identity and value are not tied to what we own. Our true worth comes from living with integrity, intention, and faith. By untangling from objects and external markers, we learn to walk confidently in God’s design for our lives.
Our spiritual and emotional baggage—traumas, secrets, unmet expectations, desires, disappointments, and guilt—can weigh us down. We attach ourselves to people, routines, and identities that may no longer serve us. Change becomes daunting when growth threatens our familiar patterns.
There’s also the baggage of hard-earned lessons. We reflect, analyze, rationalize, and “overstand” our experiences, storing every insight, judgment, and emotional scar. Some of this is neatly compartmentalized, but often our baggage is magnetic, karmic, and cosmic—we attract what we carry internally.
Some of this stuff is sweetly packaged and neatly compartmentalized; at best, we pray to keep our junk from spilling out of the suitcases, but our baggage is magnetic, karmic, and cosmic. We attract what we carry internally.
The art of letting go is something I’m still learning. My ultimate goal is to live more minimally, though I’m far from it. But clearing my closets is teaching me to:
Uncover and reveal myself
Forgive and release old wounds
Relinquish control of others and myself
Surrender to the path God has for me
Transformational Practice: Start Small, Let Go Daily
Pick one item or one emotional attachment to release today.
Reflect on what holding on has taught you and pray for strength to surrender it.
Notice the mental and emotional space you gain after letting it go.
Repeat consistently, celebrating small wins as part of your journey toward minimalism and freedom.
Black and Wanderlust, what is one thing—physical, emotional, or spiritual—that you are ready to release? How might letting it go change your life or align you more closely with your purpose? Share your comments below.
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