As holidays are again on the horizon we can all recall being in the departure areas of the airports. As we’ve walked in we’ve been trailing our cases and bags behind us. Our progress has been slow, hampered by our luggage. We wonder why we’ve packed so much, it now seems more heavy and cumbersome than when we started. Then we’ve joined the queue to dispose of our bags. Having conducted our business we’ve happily watched the cases disappear as they’ve travelled down the chute.
Suddenly we feel free. We can wander off to buy a coffee or browse the shops. We can speak to other travellers or watch the departing planesFreedom from our burdensome baggage is a relief.
Yet we all have a tendency to carry around emotional baggage. Guilt and worry about the past can drag us down; anxiety and fear about the future can become a burden. Yet we have a loving Father who longs to care for all this for us. We can enter the New Year ‘burdenless.’ We are not asked to carry our heavy spiritual loads, they are too heavy for us. Jesus said ‘Cast your burdens on me.’