Me at Caesors Head. One of God’s beautiful creations…
Sunday my best friend read me a story from the Bible as he does every week. This week was a little different though, not that all of the stories he reads and talks about aren’t great, but this one hit home for some reason. See, I’d heard the story like 8 zillion times but maybe I wasn’t listening OR maybe God was saving it for a time when I needed it most. I know you’ve heard it, the story goes like this…
Theres this guy who’s got all this money and power a man could ask for… if it were today he’d be like a cool Donald Trump with a better haircut. However, he was different than most men in his postion. He had morals and great qualities. He was honest, respectful, and helped out in his community. Well one day while contemplating on all his possessions and how great his life was, he starting thinking down the road, way down the road… like eternity. So the man calls upon Jesus asking him how he could keep this lavish lifestyle by going to Heaven. Little did he know the answer he would receive. Jesus explained, regardless of all of his good deeds, he would have to give up all of his money, all of his possesions, and follow him. But Jesus didn’t stop there… he continued with this profound yet somewhat humorous statement. He said ” I tell you that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
So the story is over right… nope. My friend goes on and I’m intrigued. Jesus isn’t just crackin on the wealthy with this story. It’s not just a story about giving up earthly possessions. It’s a story about baggage… My friend rolls out several suitcases one at a time. See the rich guys baggage was his wealth, and tangible items. What is your baggage? Are you like the man in the story? Is it money, drugs and alcohol, fear, pride, or maybe relationships? Whatever it is you cannot fully follow God with all of this “stuff” (as he attempts to pick up all of the suitcases at once and walk across the room saying ” Wait up Jesus, I’m coming but you have to slow down… I have this stuff…”).
I leave for camp in 2 weeks. I’ve been laying out my things getting ready to pack. I am trying to see what I am taking, what I need to get, and what I don’t have room for and am leaving behind. Here’s what I think I’ll leave behind, and I really think my pack will be a lot lighter.
1. Fear
2. Pride
3. Judgement
4. Stress from everyday life
5. My past
After you read this just think of something you need to let go of, and pray about it. Ask God that He will free you from it so you can lighten your pack and follow Him at a faster pace. It often helps to find someone to talk about it and pray about it with, so I encourage you to do that as well. It definately worked for me!
