In 2019 I had the opportunity to teach a class called, Heal the Hurts at the Las Vegas Natural Hair and Wellness Expo. I was excited about this opportunity and talk. What I didn't know was the journey and work God would require me to deliver to the talk. I WAS NOT ready. It wasn't that I hadn't attempted to heal my past hurts; I just hadn't dug deep enough. The days leading up to the class were long and sometimes filled with tears, frustration, disbelief...silence. Yet they were wrapped in love, comfort, and promises from my heavenly father. I dug deep, but I stopped too soon. More work was required. 
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You see, healing the hurts in your life is vital because our hurts, if not addressed or correctly addressed, begin to shape our personalities. Soon we start acting a certain way and telling others and ourselves, that's just how I am. NO! That is how and who you have become as a result of unaddressed hurts. It is not who God created you to be! It's impacting your ability to fully live and embrace the life He desires for you to live. 

While there was no pain from my past hurts, they very much had impacted my present.

• The hurts impacted the words that I spoke to myself internally and externally and to others. 
• The hurts impacted the thoughts I had about myself, my life, situations I found myself in or not.
• The hurts impacted the quality of the relationships in my life to include the most important one--my relationship with God.
• The hurts impacted and impaired my vision of myself, my world, my circumstances. 

My hurts while in my past and not causing any noticeable pain were still hurting me. The injury may have healed, but that doesn't mean it healed properly. I was walking with a limp, my posture wasn't quite right, I didn't have the full range of motion in my arms, my hands had limited functionality, my eyesight was slightly diminished….I assumed because I was doing all the things, having success, having fruitful relationships that I was good to go. I had been functioning at this level for so long that I didn't even notice my diminished functionality. 

I love to travel! Long trips, short trips, day trips, it really doesn't matter. Have you ever heard the saying, "Let the past stay in the past?" Well, I agree. We should let the memories of the past remain memories and take the lessons learned from the experience. This doesn't mean that past experience won't impact your present or future; however, you determine its level of impact. When it comes to past experiences, let's be honest—it's not the positive experiences we struggle with; it's the negative ones. 

As I mentioned before, I like to travel, and traveling requires packing, except for the occasional day trip. Upon returning from my journey—I am sure you do the same—I unpack the dirty items and put things away. If we think of our experiences like trips, then it's essential to unpack them afterward. Otherwise, we begin to haul around baggage from months and years past that have no place in our present or are negatively impacting your current journey.   

I am guilty of doing this in my life, carrying around negative things from my past. It's not the memory that is problematic, but the emotions associated with the memory that causes the issues. Carrying my emotional luggage prevents me from moving with ease, being fully present, and acts as a hindrance in relationships. The bags that we carry around can be numerous such as rejection, shame, guilt, humiliation, grudges, fear, or even a feeling of worthiness. 

Some of the baggage we carry is obvious. Similar to the yellow, red, camouflage, or polka-dot luggage that comes out of the baggage claim at the airport. You can't help but notice it. When I do my 'Heal the Hurt' talk, this is the first type of baggage I assist you with unpacking. What I have discovered on my healing journey is that as you begin to unpack your bags, you may find that there are other hurts hidden in the crevices of your luggage. Let's call them hidden hurts. These hidden hurts are often the real roots cause of the more blaring issues.  

I am excited to be able to participate in the Bloom Healing Arts Academy retreat in Bali, Indonesia taking place on September 13-19, 2020. During this retreat (which I would love for you to join me BTW), I will dive more into healing our hurts. This is an excellent opportunity to begin the work on unpacking baggage. Unpacking our baggage allows us to not just walk in our purpose, maximizing our potential. I'm excited because there is so much freedom that comes when you unpack, learn from the experience, forgive, let go, and move forward. 

If you haven't considered going with me next year to Bali as part of the Bloom Healing Arts Academy Retreat, please give it some consideration. However, at the very least, start the work of unpacking your baggage and step into freedom, my friend!

You will not regret it! ​

Until Next Time~
XO 
J.Branch