Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever stood there at the baggage carousel, watching the luggage pop out, piece by piece from that little window, but never yours? Why is it, when any chance that your suitcase is ever going to show up is long gone, you feel compelled to stand there and watch the few remaining orphan suitcases circle aimlessly, as if you believe that suddenly your stuff is going to materialize right before your eyes — if you just stare long enough? But it doesn’t.
The good news is that eventually they almost always find your bag and send it on to you. The bad news is that lost luggage has an uncanny sense of timing, managing to show up just as you’re about to end your vacation and head to the airport for your flight home, or about ten minutes after you’ve just left for a new destination. Some pieces of luggage have been known to follow frequent flyers around for weeks before finally ending up back in their owner’s possession!
Losing your luggage can be one of life’s most annoying, frustrating, aggravating inconveniences. Smart travelers have learned never to send through the baggage claim crucial papers, regular medications, or all of their socks and underwear. It’s just too risky!
But in these early weeks of 2020, I think we should all make a conscious, exerted effort to “lose our luggage.” Most of us are are more bogged down with baggage than we may ever realize.
A lot of us feel compelled to make New Year’s resolutions that we optimistically carry with us into the new year. But few of us stop to consider the load we already have packed and ready to go. I think the worst thing we can do is to take these bags bursting with old grudges, unforgiven acts, or merciless attitudes with us into a new year.
Maxie Dunnam tells of a place in Death Valley known as Dante’s View. From this perch, you have a choice. You can either look down 200 feet to the lowest spot in the continental United States, a place called, “Black Water.” Or you can look up to 14,500 feet and see Mount Whitney — the highest peak in the continental United States. From this one spot, you can choose to feast your eyes on the highest, or the lowest. You pick.
In January, you stand at the threshold of 2020 with the same choice before you. Maybe it’s time to lose some baggage you’ve been lugging around for too long. And maybe it’s time to lift your eyes to the breathtaking peaks of possibility that God has in store for you.
