The Parable of the Bread Maker

As I was cleaning out stuff from my kitchen and deciding what I would sell on Craigs List, I kept debating if I was going to sell my bread maker or not. Now, I've had this bread maker almost 9 years, Greg gave it to me as a Christmas gift, but I have NEVER used it! So, the guilt began to build, which it had done so many times before. "How can I give away or sell a gift from my husband that I have never used?" I can't tell you how many times I've said that to myself. But in the past, every time I did give myself a guilt trip, I just dusted off the bread maker and put it back on the shelf. This time was slightly different. This time I decided to get rid of the excuse and actually USE it. What a concept, huh? So, I began gathering ingredients and putting them in the little pan as directed in the cook book that it came with (never opened). I was actually so excited that I was going to be able to tell Greg that I used his gift and that I hopefully liked it. Because if I did like it, then maybe I'd stop being haunted by the "you're not even using it, you might as well get rid of it" monster. After adding all the ingredients and putting the pan in the bread maker, I closed the lid and pressed start. I was so satisfied with myself! Then I peeked through the little window to see how the mixing was coming along when I noticed that it wasn't. I recognized a strange clicking noise and began investigating. The little mixer part wasn't turning. So, after a few minutes of trying to figure it out, I just called the help line. I spoke to a nice woman for only a few minutes before she concluded that the bread maker was faulty. She began asking where & when I got it so it could be replaced. I knew the warranty was WAY expired and when I explained the situation to her, she laughed. Yes, I have been carting around this bread maker, out of guilt, for almost 9 years and the whole time it was broken! How pathetic is that?!? That bread maker went from Utah to California, California to The Woodlands, TX, from The Woodlands TX to Tomball TX, from Tomball TX, to Ogden Utah, and then from Ogden Utah to the Land of Eagles.

Last night I shared this story with my friend Ashley who then turned it into more of a spiritual parable, which I would like to share. How many of us, carry "baggage" around with us, everywhere we go, out of guilt? How much of our "baggage" should we just leave behind because it's worthless? How silly will we feel when we finally realize that we should have dumped all the baggage years ago? If we let guilt force us to not forgive ourselves or others (or whatever your baggage may be), we are just carrying a weight that is completely useless and unneeded. Just like my bread maker, the "baggage" becomes a constant reminder of the guilt that we don't need. It's garbage...it needs to be thrown away!!

So I encourage us to look within and find our "faulty breadmakers" and get rid of them. You don't need to carry that "baggage" any longer. Let it go!!