Excess baggage

But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.    Psalm 130:4

I will never forget the first time I was charged for excess baggage. I was in Africa on a missionary jaunt. Since then, I’ve paid for overweight luggage a few more times. The solution: travel light.

Traveling light is good business in life as well. The more stuff you carry with you, the more difficult it is to get through life without stumbling. And what do people carry with them that they should get rid of?

Get rid of fear! Back in the 1970s, Leonard was sure a bomb was going to be dropped, and he thought the only way to handle that fear was to dig a bomb shelter in his backyard. Yet, it was not a nuclear blast that got him. A heart attack took his life instead. When your fear becomes your master, it’s a heavy burden to live with.

Get rid of your malice towards others. It’s a proven fact that when you have malice and hatred in your hearts, it affects your health.

Get rid of your resentments. When Jim’s dad passed away, he expected not only to get his share of the inheritance but personal things that his dad had promised. But before anything was distributed, some other family members got there first, and Jim lost what he thought was his. For more than a decade, he lived with the bitterness. Eventually, he forgave them, but it cost him a decade of isolation.

Get rid of the guilt you carry with you day in and day out. Only God’s forgiveness can really take away your guilt. God can and does forgive, but you’ve got to ask Him to remove your guilt and sin. David, who knew what guilt is, said, “But with you there is forgiveness.” (Psalm 130:4)

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:1-6