GIVE ME YOUR LUGGAGE
. . . . . . . . Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 KJV
My plan was to travel with one checked luggage and two carry-on pieces. One for my daughter and the other one for myself. The thought of traveling with one checked luggage was quickly erased from my mind as I sat packing a week before my scheduled flight to Jamaica. The reality is that when you are traveling to your home country to see family members and friends, you have the desire to travel with gifts and upon returning home, you also travel with gifts for yourself-mainly food items that you are allowed to take in another country.
I checked my two fifty pounds suitcases and was now left with my two carry-on luggage, one backpack on my back, and my daughter's backpack on her back.
As the agent made the call for boarding, we gathered our luggage and waited to hear our turn to enter the plane. When it was our turn, we walked politely to the agent who scrutinized the carry-on items and advised, "this bag will not be able to fit in the overhead compartment,' she said, pointing at the larger bag and pausing for a minute. 'At no cost to you, free of charge, you will have to check it in on the plane and pick it up at your final destination.' 'I can do that', I agreed. She turned to her computer to print the baggage claim receipt. Being in a state of confusion after I was handed two receipts, I questioned if I would have to pick it up when we stopped for connecting on my second flight. 'No,' she said kindly. 'Since you have two carry-on luggage and one is too big to fit, I might as well relieve you of both so you don't have to worry about carrying both luggage and your daughter.' That weight literally and figuratively came off my shoulders or should I say my hands. I thanked the agent, and we went on our merry way. Sitting on the plane, I sat thinking about my experience and thanking God for the relief. Even if I wanted to try, I was in no position to retrieve the pieces of luggage until I reached my final destination, and those luggage were released from the designed storage area - and was on that luggage carousel. I was impressed by the Holy Spirit that we walk around with our burdens. If you are like me, I also walk around with the burdens of others. Just like those four pieces of luggage my daughter and I were carrying, we had things packed for ourselves and things for others. God wants to take our burdens and the burdens of others from us. He told us in Psalm 55:22 KJV, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." David encourages us in this scripture that we can trust in God to take whatever weighs us down. Give Him our burdens as He promises us that He will sustain and protect us. It is a direct command to release our worries, anxieties, and problems to God's care. This is a powerful message of hope and assurance to us. Regardless of the situation, God is more capable of carrying all our burdens for us, more than we could ever be. When we release our burdens to Him, He takes on that weight.
Peter gave us the same counsel in 1 Peter 5:7 NIV, which states, "casting all your anxieties on Him, for He cares for you." God loves it when we turn to Him for help, and He loves to care for us - even it the tiniest things that make up our daily lives.
Can I also tell you that when it was time to return home and my daughter and I went to the airport to check in, we were offered the same service. Even though we were traveling with only one checked luggage and two carry-on pieces of luggage, the agent offered us the same service. Would you like to check your carry-on luggage for free and pick them up at your final destination? My sister looked at me and smiled because she was made aware of the first experience, and yes, you guessed it right - I accepted the offer, with no confusion, and it felt good traveling light. Please, visualize with me in your mind's eyes, walking through the airport with two- fifty pounds suitcases, two carry-on suitcases, my backpack, holding on to my daughter's hand to keep her safe with her backpack on her back. Can you see me?
God was validating His promise to me in that situation. He also validates that promise to you. Try it! Whatever your burden is, give it to Him and do not try to take it back, as we sometimes do. How does it feel? We can find strength in trusting and a true help when we cast all our cares on our Heavenly Father, with confidence that we will have the best outcomes.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for being a good Father who cares about the tiniest details of our lives, who cares enough to know that we can not manage the cares of this life. Who commands us to give them to you our all-powerful Father. Thank you for being our Faithful Carrier- for both for our burdens and our sins. Thank you for keeping us moment by moment and for loving us unconditionally. We praise your Holy name and give you glory, in Jesus's name, Amen.
REFLECTION:
What burdens do you have a hard time giving over to God?
Describe your feelings, if you would give your burdens to God fully, without taking them back.