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The Other Half The Other Half
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A wedding in Malta, meetings in Rome, flights with different airlines. This has been the pattern of our lives these past ten days. I am actually writing this in Rome - I can see the dome of St Peter’s Basilica from our bedroom window. Travelling has always been a challenge but now I have additional things to focus on when preparing for a trip. I can no longer take all the clothes I might need because there is usually a weight restriction on the luggage, (in the past, if I could close the suitcase it was acceptable - even if I could hardly lift it!) and, of course, only one item of hand luggage is allowed - so the hat for the wedding had to be left behind! But it does mean that I have to plan things better and leave behind the excess - the surplus - the “just in case, it would be nice to have” things. It has meant that I can still take luxuries like books and my sewing if I am willing to forfeit excess shoes and coat! By co-ordinating my wardrobe I can decrease the number of articles and increase the number of outfits. It also means I can lift my case without fear of injury! You will begin to see the parallels with our spiritual journey as I’m sure that most of us travel with overweight baggage. The essentials for our journey will never exceed “the weight limit”, and forward planning to discipline our thoughts, actions and reactions will produce more productive circumstances. But we should be willing to leave behind our “comfort collection”. We know that God will always provide for our needs but if we are so clever that we anticipate every scenario, He will have little opportunity to bless us with His provision. And His Blessings and Grace are a joy to receive - never adding to our burdens but always lightening our load. A friend of ours was once moving abroad to work for the Lord. She sold or gave away nearly all she had, and she said that when she stood on the platform waiting for the train with all her worldly goods in a suitcase beside her, she experienced a feeling of freedom which was indescribable. I know that I am nowhere near that place, neither physically nor spiritually, but, God willing, each day of my journey with Him will help me to relinquish rather than acquire. May our increase be only more of Him - acquired by losing more of ourselves. © Sue Whitehead
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