Repacking YOUR Bags

“Change, even if unwelcome, forces us to reevaluate what our best options are. Those times of transitions are great opportunities to look for recurring patterns in your life and make adjustments to build on the good and reduce the bad.”  Dan Miller

Have you cleaned and organized the kitchen drawers? How about the attic?

There’s a lot of purging and long overdue projects taking place during this mandated “Safe at Home” time. Our world may never be the same. Hopefully, spiritually and significantly none of us will be the same.

  It was an ultimate adventure to a realm very far away and deep within. Richard Leider led a walking safari in Tanzania. Looking like a walking advertisement for some American outdoor retailer, he was delighted when his new friend, Thaddeus Ole Koyie, a Maasai village elder, expressed a fascination with seeing the contents of his impressive backpack. Proudly, Richard began to lay out all of his high tech essentials. After several minutes of just gazing at everything, Koyie asked with great intensity, “Does all this make you happy?”

  “Does all this make you happy?” During this period it’s a question that we all should ask. God has given us a gift of time for reflection and change. With that simple question Koyie captured the essence of the questions that weigh so heavily on many of us. What am I carrying? What will make me happy in the next phase of the journey? What is the good life to me?

  Both the implications and the importance of Koyie’s question were immediately apparent. In a split second, that question caused Richard to consider all he was carrying and why – not just on that trek, but through his entire life.

  We’re at an important crossroads in our journey through life. We’ve been given a gift to evaluate on how to proceed, what to take with us and what to purge. The Bible talks about that. In John 15:2, Jesus said: “ Every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” More and more, many of us wonder what to bring along and what to leave behind, what to acquire and what to give away, what to do and with whom to do it. It’s time for us to repack and take a long, hard look at what we’re carrying and where we are headed.

  As those who have committed our lives to Christ, we have a different destination. This world is not our Home. It’s not where we are headed. We’re merely passing through. Our destination, because of the cross and God’s grace, is an eternity in heaven.

  Being a Christ-follower means that not only is our destination drastically different, but our journey must also be different too. Yet, we easily put “stuff” in our lives because everyone else does. This is a time to reevaluate our lives in light of eternity and what has true significance. Let me suggest some areas to re-evaluate. None of these are evil or wrong, in and of themselves. As Christ-followers though, our approach to them must be very different.

  Materialism. If you haven’t received it already, stimulus checks are on the way. As the country begins to figure out how we “open back up,” powerful forces will try to convince us all to get back to “normal.” Billions will be spent on advertising, messaging, and media content to make you feel comfortable again. Every brand in America will come to your rescue to help take away that darkness and get life back to the way it was before the pandemic. And there’s nothing wrong with nice things. God wants us to enjoy the gifts of this world, the things of this life. It’s just that they don’t ultimately satisfy. We all know folk who have beautiful, immaculately furnished homes and drive luxurious vehicles, yet have empty souls and lives, and are miserable. Material things are tools, not end products of joy and contentment.

  Accomplishments. God designed us to be “human beings,” not “human doings.” Too many only feel success if they’re moving up the corporate ladder or have their “To Do” list checked off.

  We need daily times with our Heavenly Father. We need intimate times with our spouses, families and friends (and that’s not in a car on the way to the next event). God didn’t design life to be a Facebook post. One of the most violated verses in the Bible is: “Be still and know that I am God.”

  Sports. Idolatry is the replacement of God with something else, the yielding of our primary devotion and chief affections to anything or anyone besides the Lord. God’s Word consistently speaks of sports in a very positive way. They play an important role in our lives. They bring people together, encourage health and fitness, discipline and provide an array of life lessons. They can be a wholesome source of entertainment. Sports, too, are a gift from God. It’s noteworthy that there seem to be more Christians in professional sports than other avenues of fame in our culture.

  Yet, our culture has turned stadiums into temples. As Christ-followers, if we’re not careful, the gift replaces the Giver. Sports are great but make a terrible god. So, while you’re re-evaluating your life, please ask: Do sports hold a higher priority in my life than Jesus? Is God on the sidelines of my heart? Has the Lord’s Day (Sunday) morphed into just a sports day?

  Leisure. Prior to the Fall, Adam and Eve were given what’s known as the “Creative Mandate” (Genesis 1:28). God gave us strength, talent, and intelligence to be utilized for His glory. God never designed us to be emotively driven. Sadly, what has lost even in the Church, is the ability to do critical thinking. Listen to how often you hear or yourself say, “I feel” instead of “I think.” I wonder what the angels in heaven must think when they observe Christ-followers watching “Tiger King” or the “Kardashians” to name a few of the worst. After all this most will look at a cruise with more of a jaundiced eye. We are ignorant of Scripture and a biblical worldview if we live for the weekend and see work as a “necessary evil.” And then, we rationalize that we don’t have time to read God’s Word, memorize it, serve Him, or reach out to our neighbors. 

  The real question isn’t: “Does all this make you happy?” but “Does this please your Heavenly Father?” When we live in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father, He blesses us with joy, peace, and contentment…to name a few of His countless blessings. God has given us a gift of time for some needed reevaluation. May we use it wisely. It’s an opportunity for us to reevaluate and redirect our lives.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.