calling all to baggage claim.

Alright…I am going to paint you a picture so bare with me. 

Imagine yourself at an airport. You just came off the flight about to take on a new adventure. You stand there in baggage claim and wait for your luggage to come around on the conveyer belt. You see all the higher end pieces of luggage come around. (You know what I’m talking about…the Michael Khors, Kate Spade, Dooney and Burke, and etc.) You start to get a little embarrassed because you have the Target/ Walmart special. You quickly grab you luggage when it comes around hoping no one sees and book it to your transportation vehicle to get on your way. 

That’s a lot like how we feel about our past. We all have baggage. You may think some has better than others…oh but sister, you are SO wrong. 

I told this story to the youth this week. When I travel, I often find myself looking at the fancy luggage compared to what I have. That is just like my baggage compared to others. We go through trials and tribulations that make us a little uncomfortable. We may be embarrassed about what we went through, but don’t be. These are the things that God is using to mold us into the person He created us to be.

WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?

How often do we feel alone? How often do we feel forsaken? I often look back at my past and wonder, where was He? Truth is, God never left. He was always with me. He was with me every single sentence of that chapter. I was never alone. He was carrying my baggage even when I was way to embarrassed to ask. He has always been there.

Jesus doesn’t say, “Come all who are perfect” or “Come all who’ve made the best choices in life.” Instead, Jesus invites the tired and worn-out to come to Him … and He promises us rest.

That’s an amazing exchange. We get to drop our baggage, and Christ gives us rest. I don’t know how much baggage you’re dragging with you today, but I want you to know you don’t have to carry it for one more minute. Jesus is waiting in the quiet, with arms open wide to receive you. Give Jesus your baggage!

THIS IS MY FAULT.

Some of our baggage comes from something that someone has done to us. It wasn’t our fault at all. But because of what someone did we’re carrying around baggage and it’s weighing us down. It’s like they handed us, or forced a suitcase on us. Now, I need to reiterate, this isn’t/wasn’t your fault, but it’s still baggage that you’re carrying around. You need to acknowledge the truth that you have this baggage.

He wants your baggage…..the old, dusty baggage and the baggage that you are hiding behind the “perfect” persona. But let me be honest, “perfect” is impossible for you and it is time to let that go. In the song “To the Table” by Zach Williams, the words speak out for situations like this. Read them below:

He can see the weight you carry
The fears that hold your heart
But through the cross you’ve been forgiven
You’re accepted as you are

So bring it all to the table
There’s nothing He ain’t seen before
For all your trials, all your worries and your burdens
There’s a Savior and He calls
Bring it all to the table

So bring it all the table. Leave your burdens there for Him. He gave them to you so that you could give them back to him.

I had my youth write their baggage down on a piece of paper and leave it on the table for Jesus to take hold of it. I asked them,

Are you praying about it?

To be honest, if you aren’t praying about it, you apparently believe that you are strong enough to carry it all yourself but you aren’t. Give it all to Jesus and go to that alter. No matter how dusty your baggage is, He is still waiting for you.