Extra Baggage

In preparation for my upcoming trip to Japan, I have had luggage on my mind. Well, I have had a lot of other things on my mind in addition to this, especially as of late, but I've been starting to consider what it is I need to pack and purchase before leaving the country. As is usually the case, my mind began to wander, and I got slightly off track. I began to ponder about the kinds of baggage, or extra luggage, that people tend to tote around in their lives.

Baggage like stress. And bitterness. Resentment. All the fears and anxieties that keep people up at nights. The uncertainties of life that we all worry about, and fret over, but cannot control. I was reminded of the passage in Matthew, and the words that Jesus spoke concerning these things: "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? ... Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." {Matthew 6:27-30, 34}

And the other passage that I pondered was also found in Matthew, again spoken by Jesus: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." {Matthew 11:28-30}

This is baggage that we need not carry. What a sense of freedom and release, when once the burdens have fallen. When we let go of the heavy baggage, it is as though a weight has been lifted from our mind.We were not meant to live under the shadow, but to walk in marvelous light. Not only does Christ take our burdens upon Himself, but He tells us to 'bear one another's burdens.' "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."{Galatians 6:2} This verse has taken on a special meaning to me personally over the past couple of week. The particular 'burden' came in the form of an unexpected sudden injury to one of my dearest friends. Her burden was the pain and everything that accompanied a broken leg. It is a burden that she should not carry alone - and thanks be to God that she is surrounded by friends and family who have supported her throughout the entire journey. In her own words:

//Life// exciting, unpredictable, {ʎzɐɹɔ} and sometimes a lil bit painful... =) but still definitely good, because God is so amazing! oh and also because (just so you know) I have the best family and friends in the whole wide world! {{seriously}}

I am so glad that Christ came to give us life, and life abundantly. I am learning to trust His guidance, and have seen how perfect His timing is. He has placed people in my life, and in the lives of my friends, in such a way that I cannot help but marvel. La vita e bella. I believe that life is beautiful. I thank God that I am alive to glory in both its beauty and its pain.