“Life’s too short to sweep the elephant under the rug.”- A favorite saying of Kimberly Miller
Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller continue Chapter 7 of Boundaries for Your Soul as they discuss types of burdens and their origin. As a result, it’s possible to pick up a burden from:
- a dream shattered “into a thousand pieces like a mug on a hard kitchen floor”
- disappointments that occur in the past- career struggles, a friend’s betrayal
- your family or the culture in which you were raised – psychologist Richard Schwartz refers to these traces as legacy burdens, which may impact your life for decades
But, Kim observes, it’s counterproductive to sweep the elephant under the rug. For, despite how hard your parents or caregivers tried, you still inherited at least a burden or two. The authors explain:
“A burdened part can be like a soldier who doesn’t know that the war has ended. This unsung hero continues fighting valiantly, awaiting a new command. In the presence of your Spirit-led self, however, it will be relieved to lay down its burdens.”
Furthermore, soul parts stuck in the past often mire people’s quest for redemption. Thus, seeking to unburden, these hurting parts:
- lead, or even drag, you into relationships where they hope to find redemption for past wounds. However, this only causes you hurt time and time again. It’s self-sabotage to focus on someone in your present similar to the person who originally wounded you.
- produce mixed beliefs about God. To young minds, parents, caregivers, and even church leaders represent God. And human beings inevitably disappoint. Due to human brokenness, our soul’s young parts pick up beliefs our adult selves know to be untrue. Most noteworthy, these parts keep us from receiving God’s love or from loving God and others with our whole heart.
Today’s question: What elephant have you swept under the rug? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Bring home the part you left behind”
