Have we ever pulled into a hotel for a single night’s stay (possibly on the way home from a long journey) and just need a place to rest our body, a place to get “a little shut eye”?
It is then (when on our journey home), once we park our vehicle for the single night’s stay and open the vehicle’s hatch…..suddenly we realize, “I must carry in all the baggage because what is needed for the single night’s stay is not packed neatly and concisely into one bag, but into four!!!
That was me AND Maybe that has been you, as well.
We journeyed toward home and decided to stop in Chattanooga for a single night’s stay, a quick rest from our journey. My husband had found us a place to stay, and so we parked our Subaru, thinking, “We’ll leave the larger, more cumbersome suitcase and just carry up our single overnight case.
Well, that could have (and should have) been the single overnight case……IF we had packed in preparation for a single night’s stay.
Instead, our clothing was packed into our larger suitcase (you know the one that rolls so nicely on four wheels), so we sat that larger, heavier case onto the curb.
Then, we set out our small overnight bag (you know, the one with all the essential items:  toothbrush, vitamins, q-tips, and makeup remover wipes—aka “essentials”).
Reaching into the vehicle, I saw my book bag and laptop and (if you know me)….most definitely, those were going inside “for our night’s stay.”
So, what remained that we So Needed To Carry With Us….for our single night’s stay?
Darrell’s Pillow–Check.
My backpack purse–Check. Check.
Two bottles of water–Check. Check. Check.
Oh, and the table-top fan (of course)–Check. Check. Check. Check.
Once all the “necessary bags” had been removed, the Subaru’s hatch was almost empty.  “I suppose I should go get the hotel luggage cart for all this baggage,” my husband stated said, as he turned toward the hotel lobby…..Just so we could carry ALL our NECESSARY BAGGAGE for our Single Night’s Stay!!!

We live our lives much like that. Right now, I am fifty-four years old, on my way to 103, and my whole life, so far, has been one huge bag drag.  Maybe your life too.
We tug along the bag of regrets, carrying all those could of, should of, and would of bags.
Then we trudge along with the carry-on bag of unforgiveness that oftentimes seems to cut into our shoulder blade as we constantly readjust the shoulder-strap.
Plus, let us not forget the rolling bag of missed opportunities, the one that becomes heavier as years pass by.
And of course our backpack of guilt, one that rests out of sight upon our back, yet still a bag we can never put down, one we continually place upon our back….over and over and over.
WHY!!!
Why do we need so much luggage for a single night’s stay?
Why can we not pack one or two items from all combined bags and place them into one single bag, a far-more manageable and far-less heavy container?

And Why do we have such trouble seeing the brevity of this life and the eternity of our new life that began at the moment of our spiritual second birth?

The author of the book of Hebrews must have totally understood this issue we seem to have with all our heavy baggage we tug along with us through life.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart”  (Hebrews 12: 1-3).
God knows us.
God knows we have trouble letting go.
God understands, knows, and LOVES US….Still.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our life example.  He carried hardly nothing as He went from place to place, instead trusting His Father to provide His needs.
Maybe we have been carrying some burdens with us since childhood.  If so, then today is a perfect day to put down that bag near the feet of Jesus and walk away…..trusting His healing from that heavy encumbrance. 
Maybe we need to lace up our favorite shoes and today begin the journey, looking toward our eternity with God, instead of participating in our perpetual bag-drag ever again.
Maybe we are looking to reach three digits of birthday celebrations, and we need to recognize the heaviness of the load that’s been dragging us down so long.
As we saw in the passage from Hebrews, “we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us” and we need to “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us,” as we “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (12: 1).
God is So Amazingly Good!!!!
In His Amazing Grace, God has provided a way for us to run, to live, unencumbered, traveling alongside our Savior as we (instead) “fix[ing] our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith” (12:2).
Thank You, God, for loving us.
Thank You, God, for Your Eternal Salvation.
Thank You, God, for sending Your Son, for Jesus, who provides us the only example we ever need to follow.
Help us today recognize our heavy baggage we seem to carry along with us each day.  Help us remember our time here on earth is so brief. & Help us lay down all these unnecessary bags at YOUR feet, as we go, enjoying our daily journey with YOU. We ask this request, today. Amen.