Baggage |
Madrid, Spain
Early morning flight from Brussels to Madrid – No Sleep, No Food, No Connections, No-Stops, No Delays. I disembark the plane and look for the signs to “Baggage Claim.” I walk there with hope that my baggage has arrived with me. I get to the carousel and wait with eager expectation for the belt to start moving and bags to start appearing. I make my way as close as I can get to the emerging point. I stage my position – ready to grab my bags and sling them quickly and safely onto the cart. The siren sounds – the belt begins to move – and baggage starts to appear for a few of the passengers. But somehow, on a non-stop flight from Brussels to Madrid my bags ended up somewhere else. NO BAGGAGE!
Now – my response is different now then it used to be – by God’s grace – but I see my former angst clearly stated on the faces of my fellow travelers. Incensed! Angry! Frustrated! Totally inconvenienced! Their baggage is gone! They push their way to the front of the “Lost Baggage” counter and demand answers. “How could you have lost my bag on ONE flight!?!? You had no opportunity to lose it! They huff and puff and curse and swear. They have no regard at this point for anyone else because they have lost their baggage and life cannot go on well without it.
What an uncontrollable waist of energy and dignity that approach is. Yes. I too was disappointed my baggage had not arrived. My toothbrush, clean clothes, and necessities were in there – but not my life support. In fact taking the few minutes to fill out the claim form was easy – I know now that my bag is black and #25 on their ID sheet. I am seasoned at losing bags by now. In fact – it is kind of nice to leave the airport with just my shoulder bag. It is freeing not to have to struggle with my baggage through the crowds of people, escalators, doors etc. Even better is the fact that within a few hours, someone will deliver it to the door of my hotel room, and I don’t even have to lug it through the hotel lobby and down the hallways! You have to actually be very important in most societies to get that kind of service!
But no – we love our baggage. The heavier it is and the harder to carry, the more others feel bad for us and ask if they can help us. But again we either refuse the help because we can handle it ourselves, and besides, it feels good to have others feel concern for us. But – on-the-other-hand – if they do carry it, they will know how great our burden is. Furthermore, they might want to talk about our baggage, and we might get to reveal why it is so heavy and perhaps brag about the contents and feel significant in some strange way about the baggage we carry.
Isn’t that life? We have a society and even a church body that loves to have baggage. We find significance in the baggage of our past – it defines us and helps others coddle us and our needs. We complain about our baggage and say, “I can’t wait to get rid of this bag.” But lose it – and find how much we depend upon it.
Are you carrying baggage from your life that brings you significance that is not the significance of being a child of God! Is your significance anything other than Christ Jesus? Are you tired of the burden but thriving on the attention of the burden? This is idolatry that will rob you of the joy of the promises of God.
Jesus said, “All things have been delivered to me…come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me…and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~Matthew 11:27-30
Early morning flight from Brussels to Madrid – No Sleep, No Food, No Connections, No-Stops, No Delays. I disembark the plane and look for the signs to “Baggage Claim.” I walk there with hope that my baggage has arrived with me. I get to the carousel and wait with eager expectation for the belt to start moving and bags to start appearing. I make my way as close as I can get to the emerging point. I stage my position – ready to grab my bags and sling them quickly and safely onto the cart. The siren sounds – the belt begins to move – and baggage starts to appear for a few of the passengers. But somehow, on a non-stop flight from Brussels to Madrid my bags ended up somewhere else. NO BAGGAGE!
Now – my response is different now then it used to be – by God’s grace – but I see my former angst clearly stated on the faces of my fellow travelers. Incensed! Angry! Frustrated! Totally inconvenienced! Their baggage is gone! They push their way to the front of the “Lost Baggage” counter and demand answers. “How could you have lost my bag on ONE flight!?!? You had no opportunity to lose it! They huff and puff and curse and swear. They have no regard at this point for anyone else because they have lost their baggage and life cannot go on well without it.
What an uncontrollable waist of energy and dignity that approach is. Yes. I too was disappointed my baggage had not arrived. My toothbrush, clean clothes, and necessities were in there – but not my life support. In fact taking the few minutes to fill out the claim form was easy – I know now that my bag is black and #25 on their ID sheet. I am seasoned at losing bags by now. In fact – it is kind of nice to leave the airport with just my shoulder bag. It is freeing not to have to struggle with my baggage through the crowds of people, escalators, doors etc. Even better is the fact that within a few hours, someone will deliver it to the door of my hotel room, and I don’t even have to lug it through the hotel lobby and down the hallways! You have to actually be very important in most societies to get that kind of service!
But no – we love our baggage. The heavier it is and the harder to carry, the more others feel bad for us and ask if they can help us. But again we either refuse the help because we can handle it ourselves, and besides, it feels good to have others feel concern for us. But – on-the-other-hand – if they do carry it, they will know how great our burden is. Furthermore, they might want to talk about our baggage, and we might get to reveal why it is so heavy and perhaps brag about the contents and feel significant in some strange way about the baggage we carry.
Isn’t that life? We have a society and even a church body that loves to have baggage. We find significance in the baggage of our past – it defines us and helps others coddle us and our needs. We complain about our baggage and say, “I can’t wait to get rid of this bag.” But lose it – and find how much we depend upon it.
Are you carrying baggage from your life that brings you significance that is not the significance of being a child of God! Is your significance anything other than Christ Jesus? Are you tired of the burden but thriving on the attention of the burden? This is idolatry that will rob you of the joy of the promises of God.
Jesus said, “All things have been delivered to me…come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me…and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~Matthew 11:27-30
