Baggage

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3: 13 & 14

     It would be awfully hard to run the Boston Marathon bearing suitcases in each hand and a backpack weighing the runner down. In order to win, the runner wears lightweight clothes and shoes that fairly skim the pavement.
     Life is a journey, a race. Without goals, a person flounders. As a Christian, my goal is to live for all eternity with Jesus, going to the mansion that he has prepared for me. Along the way, I must keep my eyes on the Good Shepherd who guides my way and hope that others follow in my footsteps, too. When I pack my bags of guilt, remorse and insecurities, what chance have I of winning? When Jesus gave up his life at Calvary for me, he paid for my sins and remembers them no more. I need to leave all that baggage at the foot of the cross as I begin a new year.

"On my knees at the foot of the cross,
There is hope at the end of the day.
There is rest for the weary, there is hope for the lost,
On my knees at the foot of the cross."