Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Excess Baggage
(I Peter 5:7)
Excess baggage can really become a burden. In the age of exploration, the most successful adventurers learned to take just what they needed and not one thing more. Over a lengthy journey, the weight of just one seemingly insignificant item could become an impediment to completing the trek. It doesn’t take much, the explorers learned, to wreck an otherwise well-planned trip; so they learned to pack accordingly.
History tells us that occasionally even seasoned explorers packed too much. In such cases they learned to jettison some supplies, frequently burying them in a cache to be retrieved later. Once lightened from the excess baggage, they could complete their journey successfully.
Verse 7 warns the Christian believer of the danger of excess baggage—“care,” in the words of the King James Version. Simply put, “care” means excess worry or concern. It speaks of anxieties both large and small. In essence, “care” is any excess burden, regardless of size, that could weigh one down—possibly jeopardizing advancement in the Christian life.
What should one do with such “care?” We, like the explorers of old, should jettison it—casting it upon the Lord. Practically speaking, take your “care” to God in prayer and when you’re finished, leave it there! Once we’ve left the burden with the Lord, we can be certain that He will care for it because, as Peter said, “He careth for you.”
