Our daughter recently took our grandchildren on vacation. They’re little, between the ages of five and eight. She booked them on a direct flight, but they miss their initial flight and were rebooked on multiple connecting flights. Thankfully, our daughter did her best to ride the wave and make the most of every moment. But it did make things a little more difficult for the kids, as they now had to run from one place to another trying to make their flights on time. Especially with their little legs.
Fortunately, we had a similar vacation when our children were younger. And our daughter learned a few things from that trip. LOL. Take a carry on with wheels, don’t drag your luggage through the airport if you can check it, and make the best of a bad situation.
You see, when we made the trip, we chose not to check our backs. And each child was responsible for their own bag. Now this is great for training them up, but when you’re running through an airport with five children each with their own bag two adults with their own bags it’s not fun. Nor is it conducive to a good time or making your connections. LOL.
At the time, it seemed like a sensible decision. We thought we would avoid wasting time waiting to tag and leave our bags and then, waiting again at our destination while the bags are loaded on the conveyor belts and we are finally able to select them from the hundreds of other bags.
But in the end, we chose to drag our baggage, all 7 of us, through airport, after airport. Our flight was delayed at one point and we ended up having to run dragging all that baggage behind us. It was EXHAUSTING!
Our spiritual walk can be the same way. We can load ourselves up with all kinds of baggage. And, we drag that stuff around behind us. We rush through life, exhausted, dragging it behind us like we’re trying to catch a connecting flight.
We all have baggage. Some of it maybe hardships from when we were children. Things like abuse, bullying, isolation, insecurities. We also carry the baggage of being good enough and people pleasing. Some of the baggage maybe poor choices we have made. It may sin that we have committed or sin that we are currently weighted down by and the guilt that goes with it. There are all sizes, shapes and types of spiritual and emotional baggage.
“My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.” Psalm 38:4.
But we don’t have to drag that stuff around. It isn’t God’s desire for us. In fact we have an expert Baggage Handler. The Perfect Porter. Jesus Christ.
Jesus tells us “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.
His desire is to carry our baggage for us.
The hardships of our childhood are not baggage God wants us dragging around.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3. Jesus wants to carry that bag.
As we worry about things like being good enough and people pleasing, this is just another shape and size of baggage that we do not need to drag around. We need to ask ourselves the question asked in Galatians 1:10.
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”. Galatians 1:10. We will never please everyone. And, we will never be able to be “good enough” by the world’s standards (they are ever changing).
But, not only does Jesus want to carry that bag, He LOVES us! And when we trust Him as Lord, we are adopted as children of God “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1. Who cares what man thinks! Jesus wants to take that bag from you.
Earlier, in Psalm 38:4, we saw how heavy the burden of the guilt of our sin can be. But Jesus carried that bag to its destination already.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24. It’s not necessary to carry that bag for ourselves. We simply have to repent and trust Jesus as Lord of our lives.
We aren’t carrying all this baggage because it’s God’s plan. And, we aren’t carrying all this baggage because we have to. So, why are we choosing to drag it around behind us?
We have the Perfect Porter. His name is Jesus. And, He wants to take that baggage from you. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” Psalm 55:22.”
Father forgive us for not trusting you. forgive us for not leaning on you. And forgive us for dragging around all our baggage, when your Son died so that we wouldn’t have to. Please relieve us of these burdens, we give them over to you in this very moment, and we thank You for the rest that You promise.
If you don’t know how to give your baggage over to the perfect porter, Jesus, I pray that you’ll go to our life preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). Please pray the prayer that you find outlined there, from the bottom of your heart. Jesus wants to take all that baggage in exchange for forgiveness and I love that’s an immeasurable and unimaginable. Leave that baggage with the Perfect Porter.
Once you’ve prayed that prayer, please reach out to me. I’d love to be in prayer with and for you.
Luv Ya,
