I was traveling recently by plane, and when I reached my destination, I went to Baggage Claim to pick up my checked bag. I’m sure you’re familiar with the scene… A crowd of people huddle around the carousel waiting for the bags to emerge. Everyone waits anxiously, necks craning and eyes searching for the one. If you’ve ever stood there long enough, you’ll see the same bags circle ‘round and ‘round, time after time. Some bags are snatched up right away, some are picked up by the wrong person in a case of mistaken luggage identity, and others are left there until the whole crowd has disappeared… circling around on the carousel, left unclaimed.
The term “baggage claim” got me thinking about what I do or don’t claim in my life in a spiritual sense. So let me pause and ask you:
What bag have you claimed?
Please give me a minute to unpack this idea (I know, cheesy luggage joke). I believe that God has placed a unique calling and destiny in you. For the sake of this blog, we will call this your bag. You have a bag to claim, a unique bag meant only for you, a bag packed with an abundant life and tools to impact your world in a positive way. But sadly, many people never pick up that bag. Too many of us have either picked up a bag that was intended for someone else, or we’ve picked up bags that no one was ever meant to carry. Too often, people are picking up the bags of guilt, shame, unforgiveness, or bitterness.
We walk through life holding onto these bags instead of embracing and living out our own destiny from God. In my own experience, I got to a point of being tired. I got tired of living with unforgiveness, shame, and guilt. Maybe you are at the same point.
Our church has weekend retreats that are specifically designed to help us release this kind of baggage (and they are greatly effective), but you can let go of those bags anytime. I invite you to join me in doing so right now.
1 Peter 5.7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”
God cares for you. He cares so much that He sent his only Son to be beaten beyond recognition and to die so that you can release the bags that weigh you down.
Will you cast that bag back onto the carousel? Will you pick up the destiny that God has designed especially for you?
