I was remembering back to a time not so long ago when I traveled to a local airport to pick up a friend of mine. Wanting to help them with their luggage made me very keen at the baggage claim carousel as the baggage from the flight was making it’s rounds. They told me they had two bags and so I was looking for at least a large one that couldn’t go in an overhead and probably a smaller one that just happened to sneak in. As the alert message above the baggage carousel came on and announced the luggage we were waiting for was on it’s way, the old drill of looking over every piece to make sure we got the right ones began. I am amazed at what people call luggage and the amount of tape you can put on a bag to make it work. Some that were coming were works of art and some were proud representations of overpriced luggage companies. The assortment was huge and then I spotted what I thought was my friends bag, but he nodded NO. Finally he saw his bag, and I jumped into action and retrieved it and we were on our way. Luggage, or what I like to call baggage is a pretty big ordeal. If you don’t stop to get your baggage, it will be thrown into an unclaimed area and you will be notified that you need to come and get it because it is in the way of other people moving around. If they lose your baggage, you will have to file a claim to get it and that is so time consuming and frustrating. If you pick up the wrong bag that is considered stealing, and you know the result of that mistake. On the other hand, if you have a lot of baggage it gets very difficult to keep up with it as you go from place to place. Baggage can be like, what the Bible calls, a millstone around your neck. A millstone is something that is very heavy and it is heavy because it is designed to do one thing, crush corn into corn meal. A millstone is not designed to carry around like a briefcase or anything that is lightweight and easy. It is very difficult and it is out of character for one to be used for anything but crushing something. So if baggage is like a millstone, then if we have any, we are unnecessarily allowing ourselves to be burdened. In the Christian life satan loves to heap on more and more baggage on each of us, so as to weigh us down and control us, and dominate us. Jesus, on the other hand, tells us to take on His burden, which is light. In Matthew 11:29 Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” You may notice that when we take on the yoke of the Lord it isn’t designed for just carrying something, it has direction and instruction as part of the deal. No heavy millstone, just direction…. Now that’s the kind of baggage a person can handle and actually grow from in the process. I was talking to a friend of mine who is going through a very unfair type of situation and his attitude about just trusting God to help him through it is a good example of using baggage to teach us and give us wisdom. If you have ever seen a yoke on an animal you will notice that reins are attached to it in order to control the one who is carrying the yoke. Jesus offers us direction and instruction, but with a light load, as He directs our path. The writer of Proverbs alluded to this in Proverbs 3:5,6 where it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him and, and He will make your paths straight.” How much are we supposed to trust in the Lord? With all our heart! Pretty cut and dried to me. The yoke of the Lord will direct us and guide us to what is best for us and that is because Jesus is at the helm of this ship we call “our life.” There will always be the tendency to look at the baggage carousel and pick up the wrong baggage that is too heavy and cumbersome, but wait for the right baggage that when you open up that bag you find everything you need for your “life journey.” satan’s baggage is always going to be on that carousel, but don’t pick it up. It’s not for you or me. Be alert to what God is sending your way to help you and then pick up on what He is trying to show you.
Andra and I are in the middle of going a whole new direction in our lives and it is a little scary, but God is giving us pieces of luggage filled with things that will equip us to travel safely and confidently on this journey and the luggage is not heavy. We do need to get the right luggage through. Oh Yeah!! We are at the baggage claim now and we are ready to claim that baggage that has our name on it and get on with our lives. We are confident in God’s direction and His strength to make this journey and be all He wants it to be. It is different than what we might have planned, but what do we know? Not much! God knows what is best and we won’t let the baggage of the enemy burden us into obscurity! His vibrancy remains fresh and new in our lives and we want Him to guide our steps. He will do it!!
The Pilgrimage continues……
David Warren