Packing, suitcases, deadlines, paperwork.....the list goes on and on. right now I am seeing traveling a little differently than just throwing a few things together in an overnight bag for a weekend trip close to home. Here I am packing for my first overseas trip!  There is excitement coursing through my body right now.  But at the same time there is a little dread. Will I remember everrything?  I am finding that there are two categories that everything falls into - essentials and non-essentials.  

I take a toothbrush because I will need it every day. It is definitely an essential item.  I will take an umbrella - just in case it rains.  And what about that insect spray that my guidebook highly recommended I take? Will that seal even be broken while I am strolling around the Trevi Fountain on a 95 degree day?  I will not know until it actually happens, will I? I may go the whole month and never have to use it.  It will be bulky and  take up space in my suitcase...valuable space.

So what do we, as Christians, carry with us that are non-essentials that merely weigh us down and do us no good as we journey through life?   What about all the truths we were taught as youngsters that as adults we have come to realize do not apply to us anymore?  Do those "truths" take up so much space in our bags that we don't have room for the actual truths that scriptures teach us...That God forgives! That His love in unconditional. That we are more valuable than ANYTHING in this world.  

For too long I have chosen to believe some of those "truths" from my childhood.  And I should have been listening to the truths that the Word has so loudly spoken to me.  Those old truths had been squeezing out the words I had been needing to claim during the toughest times of my life...."I am loved."  "I am valued."  "And because I am a child of the King, I am a princess."

So I will not pack the "lies" of, "Nobody wants a woman who cannot keep herself nice looking at all times."  Instead, I will pack up the essentials of, "I am a princess and I am valued and loved by my Father no matter WHAT I wear, and whether or not I have a bad day and take it out on someone who is close to me."  So, I am sorry, mom.  I am not going to travel to my new dreams and destinations loaded down with those things you taught me.  They are not essentials in my life and I won't even consider sticking it in a corner of my hot-pink, tiger-striped suitcase!

So here is a challenge to anyone reading this.  Empty that suitcase you have had packed and repack it.  Take out all of the possessions and effects that weigh that suitcase down and are non-essentials.  And put in its place all of the items that truly belong and that you claim.  I am sure that you will find that the new items you place into your bag will not weigh very much.  Want to know how I know that?  "...My burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)

Enjoy your trip to YOUR new dreams and destinations!  You are packed and ready....when do you leave?  I will pray for a safe journey for you.