Today is Boxing Day...a perfect day to talk about baggage if you ask me since this is the day some of us may "box"/package things for others - things we feel they need or just want.
Travelling a few months ago, I was a not-so-happy passenger when I was charged for my luggage. I mean I took my time to pack the things I felt I needed - not wanted - for my trip and yet they were going to charge me for "my needs"? This made me think about my life... and about how much I carry or even pass around.
Yes, the fact that I was charged for my luggage made me rethink my personal baggage - even though I've written about it before* from a different perspective. Our lives are full of boxes - some are pleasant packages and some are burdensome baggage. With the (new) airline rules of charging for baggage, it's obvious that baggage costs... and that includes mental/emotional baggage. It costs a lot to retain, retrieve and carry baggage around.
Let me give you an example: Imagine that someone gives you a gift - that you really don't need (and that could happen to you this year). Sometimes to keep that person happy, you hold on to that gift - even if you know/see someone else that the gift could be a blessing to. On the flip side, when someone offends you, that offence is one "gift" that does not bless or benefit you or the giver and should not be retained, carried around or even passed on.
There are people who live with the "Black Book" mentality - recording every detail of each offence and that creates a stumbling block, you can't move forward or go far like that. Even if you don't have a black book and just store everything in your heart - like this man who's wearing all his clothes to avoid checked-in baggage fees - you are still doing it to your discomfort.
Now I'm not saying that you have to avoid baggage fees - because you can't especially if you're travelling for a long time and need to take a lot with you. However, in our daily lives and relationships with others, we can and need to travel light. I really appreciated the benefit of travelling light when a friend and I travelled together. When we arrived home, she was done and ready to go home after going through Customs. Even though I finished with Customs about 15-20 minutes before her, I still had to wait over ½-an-hour for my luggage - talk about paying twice for baggage - by the way, I didn't need everything I packed.
The point is, as you package things for others, consider what you have boxed in your life.
Are there things that you need to let go of? Are you stressing your heart and spirit too much by carrying offences from one year to the other? Physically, are there gifts/things you have that you really don't need and can bless others with? Reassess your baggage, "shed"/share any excess weight - and travel light...
Reference:
* http://mrs-pastor-and-pastor-mrs.blogspot.ca/2011/03/travel-light.html
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