Pack Well!

“Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.” I Peter 1:18

Life is a journey. This is not our permanent home. “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” Heb. 13:14 We are born with an empty suitcase but we must all pack and take a suitcase with us as we travel from place to place until we reach our final destination.

What will we pack for our journey? We will all pack different items. Organize and pack everything in your suitcase, take the right things, don’t try to stuff in too much, and take advantage of the space you have so you can accomplish as much as possible during your lifetime.

I’ve watched my husband pack for a trip. I look at his suitcase and see what he packs. I look at my suitcase and see what I pack - it is totally different-even though we are going on the same trip! We all have different suitcases and we all pack differently. Even though two or more of us may have the same destination, it doesn’t mean we will pack the same.

A suitcase is designed to be portable and to hold your personal items on a journey. Some of us have hard sided suitcases. They appear sturdy and strong on the outside. They look like they are ready for a rough trip into the rugged mountains or into the Amazon jungle. Their exterior says “I am strong and I can go anywhere!”. Then there’s the purple suitcase with bright pink and yellow flowers all over it. The suitcase smells good. It has charms, accessories and stickers all over it. The suitcase says “I’m on vacation”!

Suitcases aren’t about the outside though; they are all about what’s packed inside for your journey. Some of us packed light because our trip was short and quick. Some of us look like hoarders because we took everything with us. When you reach your final destination, how much will you have to unpack? How much in there was unnecessary?? Was your suitcase so heavy that you couldn’t carry it most of the time? Was it so heavy that it put you over your limit and you had to pay extra for it. What extra things did you pick up along the way?

The best way to pack is by familiarizing yourself with where you’re going. What direction are you going? Do you know your plan? “For I know the plans I have for you.” Jer. 29:11

We are all called to pack what we think is necessary and then to let Him help carry our suitcase. Every so often we also need to sit down on the floor with Him, go through things one at a time and put back in only what you need. In other words, reprioritize and reorganize. If your suitcase is cumbersome and it has more weight than value, you can take some things out or leave it with your luggage carrier. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) The more weight we give to Him from our suitcase, the lighter the load for our trip.

An important piece of advice for you on your suitcase is to know what destination you are headed for so you know how to pack. . Is it a very hot place or an eternal one? Also, be sure your contact info is on your luggage so people know who you belong to and where you’re going. Be sure your bag says: “Return to Jesus.“

Adventure awaits and my suitcase is ready!