Less Baggage, More FreedomSample

I've wrestled with a question about the Christmas Story in the Bible for a long time. What happened doesn't make sense to me.

In Matthew 1, Mary asks Gabriel a question, and she gets an answer. However, in Luke 1, Zechariah asks Gabriel a question, and things take a turn for the worse.

In verse 18, Zechariah replies to the Angel, who tells him he will be a father. He says, "How can I know this?... for I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years." I've always found that phrase funny. "My wife is well along in years." Great husband move right there!

The Angel responds with anger to Zechariah's question. "You will become silent and be unable to speak until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time."

Here's the second lesson for the weary and the burdened. Our baggage often produces doubt and disbelief. We have unmet expectations. We battle disappointment and even resentment. We feel betrayed and perhaps abandoned by God. When those emotions fester within us, they can produce doubts and cynicism.

According to Luke 1, Zechariah didn't say anything during Elizabeth's pregnancy. He has a lot to reflect on during this time.

The reason why Zechariah gets this consequence from God is not that he has doubts. After all, Mary had doubts too. Zechariah responded with disbelief. I love how author Daniel Darling parses out the difference between the two.

"God loves to hear our doubts, to field our questions, and to hear our anguish cries. But disbelief is a sin - our unwillingness to trust that God can do the impossible."

Doubt is, "God, I'm struggling to understand. I have questions. Can you give me a little more help making sense of this?"

Disbelief is, "God, you can't. You don't have the Power to do it. It's not possible."

When we carry baggage without seeking healing, we can grow disbelief that God can do anything about it. We begin to believe that He's Powerless to address what caused it, so we continue to carry it with us.

I encourage you to ask yourself an important question about your baggage. Has your baggage produced doubts or disbelief in you? Are you asking questions of God to make sense of what's happened to you? Or are you questioning God's Capacity to bring hope and healing in your circumstances?

Your struggles can draw you closer to God or push you away from God. As a pastor, I've seen similar circumstances drive people deeper into dependence on God and harden their hearts against God.

Before proceeding to the final Day of this Plan, consider how you will respond to the events of your past and the baggage you're carrying. You might not have nine months to sit in silence and contemplate, but take time today to reflect. How is your current approach to your baggage working? Are you ready for a different approach?

On the final Day of this Plan, we'll examine what happens when Zechariah's waiting ends.