We all carry baggage, whether from the past or present.
Some of the baggage we carry is evident in our circumstances,
broken home, fatherless sons, fatherless daughters, motherless children
physical handicap, mental handicap, broken hearts. At some point
in our lives we become more acutely aware that the older we get, the more
we put in our suitcase of “stuff”, “issues”, we tend to add, rather than unpack our
“stuff”, adding stuff on top of more stuff. Sooner or later the new stuff pushes
the old stuff further and further in the suitcase and we don’t see it anymore
We forget it is there, but oh yes it is there alright; now wrinkled, smelly, faded, molded
and starting to stink and affect even the new “stuff”. You don’t see all, all you see
is the effect. You have anger issues, and you don’t know where that came from,
you think you are just angry about the immediate situation. You have trust issues,
and for the life of you, you can’t tell the genesis. You are extremely, painfully shy,
not a clue how that started, you think you were born that way. Over confident, loud
and pompous, where did that come from? No clue.
You continue to go through life as though these things don’t matter. As long as you
can zip up your suitcase, no one can see what you are packing, what you are travelling
with. Like at the revolving Baggage Claims at the airport, we all pick up our suitcases of
“stuff” and “issues” in fancy bags, carry-on, some light, some stuffed to the limit,
and we make our way out into the world, no one being the wiser what we are carrying.
Then one day, after years of not unpacking and airing, but of continuously piling on
new stuff, the zip breaks, spilling all the contents of our suitcase when we’re not
ready. At that point you frantically try to stuff it all in, but not everything can enter.
What do you do then? Abandon your stuff and suitcase and run? stuff it all
back neatly and zip it? or use the opportunity to examine your life, though
an unexpected opportunity? The choice is up to you……
MAH MEKOLLE
Pearls of Our Lives 
Waouh. This post describes so well the situation I have been going through in the last months. The suitcase was too heavy and I decided to open it in full and get rid of all the unnecessary and that extra load was indeed the one driving the most negative behaviors in me. Now, I take the time to think twice before putting something in the luggage. Hard work, everyday job but easy when you confide in the Lord. Thanks for sharing, was a great reminder to the path I have gone through and an encouragement to stand stil!!
I guess what you are referring to here is the excess baggage. The things we no longer need like old stockings, underwear, handbags, worn-out belts, worn-out shoes, furniture, the stuff that remains after a garage sale,… etc.
They’ve just become such a part of us that we don’t know or don’t even want to let them go. Even when we move house, towns, jobs, church, city, we take them with us and keep them in the closet, garage, basement, attic or even a special room! Old stuff we have not even looked at for years. We just feel ‘comfortable’ having them around. Just knowing they are there gives you a sense of ‘you’. They bring back good and bad memories.
The truth is, those things no longer serve us and whatever doesn’t serve you anymore is just excess baggage. It has to go out and real fast. May God grant us the wisdom and courage to get rid of whatever no longer serves us or His purpose for our lives.
wow, Kate, you expanded on that so well, yes indeed. It was meant to highlight those things that do not serve us well, and sometimes we even forget that they are there, sometimes we keep them deliberately around for comfort….thanks for adding to the learning Kate
Turn to Jesus Christ for wisdom on how to address them…..
Great advice