21 Oct Pack Light

This year has seen Seymour Park, just north of Samaritan’s Heart Mission Church, become home to several unhoused people. It’s a blessing to be able to serve them. It’s easy to forget that the homeless must carry all their possessions with them wherever they go.  The occasional opportunity to safely store their belongings somewhere is a tremendous blessing to them.  I recently watched a gentleman quickly pick up the items he had sprawled on a park shelter floor and efficiently pack them. The efficiency with which he packed was a sad reminder of how often he does that. It also reminded me of something else. We can often act as though we’re spiritually homeless.

Every morning, we embark on parallel journeys: an earthly one and a spiritual one. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can pack very lightly for the spiritual journey. Yet, we often pack our spiritual cart overflowing with the troubles of this world. We bring with us every worry, fear, and anxiety that we’re experiencing. We’ve gotten so used to it that we don’t even realize the weight of the burden we’re carrying. We seem to forget that we can give Jesus our load each morning:

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

For God to do that, we need to heed Jesus’ direction:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 25-27, 33-34 (NIV)

The worries Jesus refers to here are the ones we often pack each day in our spiritual cart:

• Will I have enough to eat?
• Will I have a place to live?
• Will I have people in my life who love me?
• Will I get my to-do list done?
• Will I beat my addiction (or will a loved one)?

Jesus gives us a choice. We can haul these heavy objects around in our spiritual cart, or we can leave them with Him by seeking first His Kingdom and righteousness. Then we can focus on today, and not tomorrow, next week or next year. And we can trust that Jesus is with us every minute of the day.

What’s in your spiritual cart? What does Jesus want you to surrender to Him today? Pray that He would show you. Because the less baggage you take on any journey, the more joyful the trip will be.

Pastor Jerry Bader