Empty Your Suitcase

Justine Nagawa

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up;
do you not perceive it? …” Isaiah 43:19

As we travel through life, we carry suitcases. What we have stored in those suitcases usually determines where we go. When I travel on a trip, I sometimes buy souvenirs for my family or friends. The funniest thing of all is that my suitcase must transport all these gifts regardless of the amount of space!

Have you experienced this before?

Although it might be too funny to think about, the reality is that it can be a bit uncomfortable at times. There might be so many things for others to fit into your suitcase that you end up not having much space for what you really need.

The same happens with the suitcase of our life. We are dragging baggage filled with so many things from past experiences. We carry many objects that make our suitcases heavy, and even worse, that take away space for what we really need to carry. I don’t know how much baggage you’re dragging with you today. Maybe it’s hurtful words that you have kept in your heart. Perhaps it’s a past situation that has hindered you from trying again. Whatever it may be, please know that you are not obligated to carry any of those things.

We need to make room for all the good that God wants to give us, especially this year! Those new experiences or lessons, those new people, those new achievements, etc. God will take you just as you are. He will fill you with love, joy, peace, hope, patience, dreams, kindness, and much more. He will teach you. He will provide for you. He will fight for you. He will heal you.

Are you making room for these many blessings coming your way?

Friends, let’s leave behind what has only been a burden, and only pack the things we really need. Observe how God is helping you fill up your suitcase with what is really worth it. God wants to do a new thing in and through you (Isaiah 43:19). Don’t just THINK He is there, KNOW He is there…today, tomorrow, and forevermore.

Will you empty your suitcase for Him?