When was the last time you bought a piece of luggage? Like a lot of things, luggage has gone high-tech. Not only does luggage come in all shapes, colors and sizes, but you can now buy luggage with wheels that roll in all directions, handles that slide up and down and more pockets and zippers than a tailor’s shop.
Good luggage makes life on the road more enjoyable. Push it, pull it, roll it and maneuver it as you please, today’s luggage has the world traveler in mind. All is well until you blow a wheel, aggravate a zipper or break a handle.
I should know. I had the unfortunate experience of luggage equipment failure. Everything was going well until the handle to my suitcase wouldn’t come out from hiding. I yanked it, begged it and pried on it. I stabbed it with a ballpoint pen. Nothing. Apparently my new-fangled suitcase was equipped with a mind of its own.
I made the adjustment. I looped a bandana around the handle and moved ahead. My suitcase began beating at the back of my legs. If I crouched in the just right position, I could make reasonable progress. My hand turned purple as the makeshift handle impaired my blood circulation.
Things got worse before they got better. A well-meaning police officer sent me in the wrong direction and added another 80 miles to my walk from the subway to the hotel. OK, it wasn’t 80 miles, but it sure felt like it. I know it had to be at least a mile or two. Have you ever hauled, notice I didn’t say pushed, pulled or rolled luggage for a mile? It is horrible! How the children of Israel must have felt wandering around in the wilderness, circling round and round. Talk about Deja Vu. I’ve been there and don’t care to go back!
By the time we reached the hotel, I had worn a hole in the bottom of my suitcase. Very much longer and my pajamas would have been out in the open for all to see. I’m positive one of my arms is now longer than the other. It has come in handy when dusting the top of the refrigerator. I eventually ditched my high-tech luggage in favor of a souped up duffle bag.
When it comes to living life, many of us are dragging around a ton of old, worn-out luggage. We may do a good job calling it something else, or we find ways to hide its ugliness, but let’s face it, we all have baggage that brings us shame and weighs us down.
Perhaps it is an old habit that we just can’t break. Or a sin we can’t release. Forgiving ourselves is often the hardest part. So, we hang on to our old baggage because it is all we know.
Jesus said He came to give us abundant life. He is happy to exchange our old baggage for a new life. It sure beats running around with your pajamas hanging out! What do you say?
