Are you carrying a heavy load?

I recently travelled abroad to speak at an Author's Forum in San Antonio Texas. I was allowed to take 23kg (nearly 50lbs) on the international flight from the UK to the United States. Taking advantage of the opportunity I stopped in Colorado, to see a dear friend. Unfortunately, I was only allowed 18kg (around 40 lbs) for the internal flight from Colorado to San Antonio.

I tried my very best to pack lightly, but you know how it goes. By the time I had to get on the internal flight, I was a good 3kg over my allowance. Embarrassingly, I was asked to move to the side, remove some items from my bag, or pay $100 for extra baggage. There, in front of a queuing audience, I had to open my suitcase and search around for items I could carry on the plane with me.

My carry-on backpack was already coming apart at the seams. Now I had to find a creative way of tagging another 3kg to an already heavy load. It was such a relief when I flew back home to unpack a large part of that backpack and put it in the suitcase I was allowed to check in for the international flight. I felt like I could skip through the airport. Light as a feather.

Baggage.

We all pick up baggage as we travel through life. However, we are called to live freely and lightly. Is it time to let go of the things you don't need to carry?

The first two kings of Israel dealt with baggage in very different ways.

When the prophet Samuel came to anoint Saul as king, he found him hiding behind the baggage.

Therefore they inquired of the Lord further, if the man would yet come back. And the Lord answered, Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.
1 Samuel 10:22 AMPC

When Israel was taking their position on the battlefield against the Philistines, David dropped his baggage and ran towards the battle.

And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
1 Samuel 17:22 ASV

Both of them were destined to rule, but they both responded with a different heart posture.

The first time I noticed this, it shook me to the core. I realised that sometimes, I hide behind my baggage (whether physical, emotional, financial, relational or even spiritual) when I am called to rule and reign over every circumstance I face in life.

Dear friend, perhaps it is time to drop your bags and run towards your destiny. What are you holding onto that you don't have to carry yourself? You were created to rule and reign in this life (Romans 5:17). You have a purpose.

Letting go is not easy, I know! I had a lot of psychological baggage to sort through, even after my encounter with God. And my struggle was not merely with my mental health. In my book, Untangled, I specifically share about my struggle with my body image and weight. My identity and self-worth was so tangled up with the number on the bathroom scale.

This year I have seen a significant change in my body as I have consistently chosen to let go of the weight I was carrying en every area of my life. Not just the physical weight (even though it was wonderful when I realised that I had lost the weight of my international baggage allowance!) It is the heavy stuff that we are carrying in our hearts, that truly slows us down from running the race we were created for.

If you resonate with my story I want to invite you to get a copy of the Freely and Lightly Guided Journal. It offers 31-Days of guided journaling to help you identify those issues that are messing with your heart. It also serves as a food and fitness tracker, so you can improve your health with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I share a little more about my journey here with one of the wonderful women who mentored me early on in my faith walk, Robia Scott: