I do not travel light. I grab the biggest suitcase I can find and cram in as many outfits as possible.
Yet even while I’m stuffing superfluous items into my luggage, I know I won’t need them. I lug around unnecessary baggage out of anxiety — once, more than a decade ago, an airline lost my luggage. I’ve tried to travel lighter. But instead of focusing on traveling lighter, it’s more important to travel wiser.
In the broadest sense, we are all travelers, on a path toward wholeness. What shall we pack for this journey? But didn’t Jesus say, “Take nothing along for the journey (Mark 6:8-11)?” Yes, Jesus gave his disciples strict limits on material possessions. But what about emotional baggage?
Airlines warn passengers about accepting packages from others. This is also sage advice for our wholeness journey because occasionally, we’ll encounter people who emanate negativity. We meet toxic people who torpedo others with unkindness. We are not required to carry another person’s baggage.
In what ways can you travel wiser?
This message is excerpted from “Checked baggage” by Angela T. Khabeb from the July 29, 2016, faith reflection in Cafe online magazine.
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