Nancy Hughes: Travel light

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.”
Psalm 68:19 (NIV)

I have never learned how to pack for a trip. My husband always warned me to “travel light” and I tried. Really. I just never got the hang of it. There are too many necessities.

Take, for example, hair dryers. Packing two on a trip isn’t unreasonable to me. Yes, they are big and bulky but what if the hotel doesn’t have one and what if my main dryer doesn’t work and I don’t have a backup? My hair wakes up in a whole new world every day. I NEED a dryer to give my hair a semblance of direction.

And then there is the makeup. I don’t want people to see me walking toward them and scream, for Pete’s sake! I realize that three cosmetic bags of makeup might seem to be a lot and I haven’t worn some of the eye shadow in four years, but you never know – right? Makeup equals necessity.

Of course I also need several changes of clothing. What if it’s hot? Or cold? Or cool? Or rainy? Or windy? Or what if I gain a couple of pounds while we are traveling and can’t get into some of my outfits?

So I shove and push and pack all my “can’t make it without them” items in my bags and sit on each one as I pull the zippers shut as quickly as I can before the contents pop out. Then I drag them to the car and watch as my husband tries to find room for my four suitcases beside his one carry-on bag.

I remember arriving at the airport for one particular trip and seeing the obvious problem: my husband and his one suitcase could easily move through the baggage check in but my four bags of “necessities” took considerably more time. And even though he helped me, I tripped twice and nearly fell because my baggage was heavy and thus more expensive to check in . . . and . . . dare I say it . . . not necessary.
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So it is with the unnecessary baggage that we carry around with us every day. Our suitcases are busting at the seams with anger and resentment, worries and anxieties. We haul grief and heartache in our backpacks and pride in our briefcases. Each one gets heavier and heavier and heavier as our strength fades and we struggle just to move forward.

The solution? That’s where today’s Scripture from Psalms comes in. Jesus is longing to take our burdens – our stuffed baggage – and carry it for us . . . not just once but every single day! He knows we are tired and weary and He wants nothing more than to lean down and say “Excuse me. May I carry that for you? Let me take the heavy burdens that are weighing you down and replace them with peace and rest.”

Amazing! Jesus will carry our heavy burdens for us. He will give us rest. He will ease our load. Please trust Him and obey His encouragement to travel light.

Father, I praise your name for calling me to come to you and leave all my burdens with you. Thank you for replacing the contents of my baggage with your peace and rest. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

What burdens are you carrying in your suitcase today?

Are they getting easier to carry? Why or why not?

Apply

Write down every burden that you have been carrying around, no matter how many years, on pieces of paper.

One at a time, give each burden to the Lord to carry for you and praise Him for this gift of love to you.

Power

Psalm 68:19 (NIV) “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”

Matthew 11:28 (NIV) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Psalm 55:22 (NIV) “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”