Too Much Baggage

One thing that I am not going to miss about road trips this summer is all the baggage that is needed to travel. I am not going to miss living out of a suitcase for a week or two. I am also not going to miss trying to fit enough luggage and other stuff for 4 people in to the back of my wife’s Honda CRV.

Last summer, my family traveled to Walt Disney World and we packed everything we needed or thought we were going to need. The entire back of my wife’s SUV was filled to the brim and every crevice was utilized. We had a cooler under my youngest’s feet and a wall of snacks separating him and my oldest. Even the front of the car had bags of snacks and other stuff to make our travel much easier. We were determined to make our road trip to Walt Disney World as pleasant as possible by packing everything we thought we’d need.

It would be tough for me to argue that we didn’t need all the things we brought, but I can tell you that all that baggage comes at a cost. What was the cost? Those items took up space. They provided a challenge at every stop when we needed to unload/reload items to find a phone charger or some other item to keep the boys entertained in the back seat. The large amount of stuff often made it difficult to find what we were looking for. We brought all those items thinking that they would provide us peace of mind, but did they?

Like a car loaded for a road trip, our minds are often crowded with so much stuff that peace is often difficult to find. We carry too much baggage. We think that what we carry is necessary but in reality it is preventing us from living in the joy and peace God provides. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” We are so unwilling to release some of what we carry because we do not trust that God will provide.

What are you carrying? What is weighing you down? What along the road of life has kept you from experiencing peace? This Sunday (July 26th), we will continue this conversation at both our 8:30 AM (traditional) and 10:45 AM (contemporary) services online. Join us to discover the key to unloading all of that baggage.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church