Have you ever considered the design and marketing of luggage?
Did you know there are specialists whose only job is to create mobile containers of all shapes and sizes to satisfy the needs of today’s frequent flyers?
Luggage manufacturers tout precise construction, premium materials, and durability of hardshell products while promising sophistication and impeccable style in softside bags. Smooth-glide spinner wheels offer effortless mobility. Retractable handles allow travelers to rush between gates with ease while the locking latches hold their belongings safely inside.
Yet, those designers must remain attentive to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and airline regulations. Precise measurements are provided. Travelers are warned of zero-tolerance for protruding wheels, bulging pockets, and bulky handles. What doesn’t fit within established parameters is ever-so-gently tossed into the underbelly alongside hundreds of other bags destined for a monotonous ride on an eternal conveyer belt once they reach their destination.
As one who is NOT a frequent flyer, I’m more concerned with the latest TSA and airline rules than with functional, fashionable luggage. When I have a flight to catch, measurements are taken and weight is estimated before I even leave for the airport. I take great care (and have a bit of anxiety) before I fly because I want no issues to prevent me from boarding; no surprises at the gate.
All who travel are forced to comply with certain standards in order to reach our destination along with our baggage.
Have you ever considered the totally random correlation between luggage and life?
Like luggage, humans come in many different shapes and sizes. Some of us are impact-resistant with hardshell exteriors. Others are soft-sided and more easily shaped and influenced by our surroundings. Many of us attempt to hide in sophisticated garments and pretend to glide effortlessly with impeccable style. Some are more durable than others, rolling with the punches of life as if we had spinner wheels.
Truth is, we all carry baggage every single day. We are a hurting people. And oh, what a plethora of baggage we endlessly stuff into the carry-ons of life.
Brokenness. Jealousy. Addictions. Fear. Guilt. Deception. Envy. Anger. Pride. Unbelief.
But we are created by a loving God who wants to travel alongside us through life. He is eager to carry our burdens and won’t treat us as our sins deserve. If we simply invite Him to be our Lord and Savior, He promises to toss our baggage as far as the East is from the West. It’s no longer ours to carry.
As children of God, we are forever forgiven and redeemed to be all He created us to be and – best of all – our final destination in Heaven is secure.
There will be no anxious moments at the Pearly Gates because no carry-on baggage is allowed. Praise God!
Psalm 103. Matthew 11:28-30. John 3:16.
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