The Mats We Carry

Mark 2:11-12

11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

In this story in Mark, Jesus heals a paralyzed man. That is all I had ever seen in those verses, but T.D. Jakes taught on this parable last week at a conference Kyle was at and revealed a whole new meaning.

Jesus said "take your mat", not "your healed so leave your mat because you don't need it anymore" like I would assume. Jesus said "take your mat" because he was teaching the healed man that although you no longer need it, others do. People need to see your mat so that they can find freedom from their own mats. I had missed an incredible part of the story by overlooking this because when God heals us, it is our responsibility to take what once controlled us and share it with others. We are to take the mat that held us down to impact those who are still on theirs.

Some people are ashamed of what once controlled them and kept them in bondage, but the Lord wants us to pick it up and carry it, because we now have control over it. This is our greatest tool and testimony. Your "mat" that paralyzed you is your story, your experience and what you have to offer hope and freedom to others.

There is a saying that people at my church say often "Hurt people, hurt people. But free people, free people." When you are still controlled by your "mat" you are a hurt person still hurting others. But once you have found freedom it is now your duty to help others find freedom.

This makes me wonder if there are many Christians who have been healed and are not "paralyzed" anymore, but are still laying on their mat. They have seen the power of God but are scared to take the needed step to get up and walk. Or others may have jumped off their mat and walked out, but left their mat and story behind because of the shame of their past.

We lose so much ability to help others when we leave our mat behind or try and hide it so that we can forget about where we came from.

A mat that once controlled me was the fear of rejection. I made every decision based on that fear and operated daily so that I would be accepted. I had no idea that I was doing this, but saw the fruit of this lie when I would be offended easily or be crushed when I was not validated or included. I believed a lie that I would never be good enough or valuable enough and in turn needed every person's acceptance.

Last summer I went to an intense freedom weekend at my church called KAIROS. At this event the Lord showed me the place where I first believed this lie and it was shocking how long ago it was. At that moment I believe the lie that I would never be good enough and began a journey of perfectionism. I thought that if I could be perfect in every way, eventually I would be worth accepting.

It was such an overwhelming experience to have God gently show me where this started in my life and how it affected me daily. I now call mayself a recovery perfectionist. It is not easy because I was bound by my perfectionism mat for a long time, but my God said to me that I am valuable and accepted and released me from my mat. So now, I take what controlled me everywhere I go because there are so many people in bondage to this same lie and it is my responsibility to point them to The One who heals.

Every person's mat is a little bit different and the more freedom we find the more mats we carry. I image that the mat we are bound to is heavy and filthy but as soon as we are freed from it and it has no power, it is light and easy to throw over our shoulder and carry without burden. I hope you too, will grab your mat before you walk out the door so that you will be ready to tell how this silly old mat controlled you, but now God controls it for you.

- Katy