trave ling

trave ling
jeff lucas
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It probably looked comical,
but I wasn’t laughing.
I staggered across the airport,
clutching a leaden suitcase in one hand
and with a camera strapped around
my neck and bobbing on my chest as
I hurried. I dragged a rollalong (with
one sticking wheel) behind me, and
had a plastic carrier bag suspended
from a little finger, cutting deep.
I looked like a burden-laden sherpa.
I was sweating – and panicking.
Mine was the cardinal sin of having
overweight luggage. A glowering
check-in person gave me a stern
telling off: repack or pay a hefty fee.
I was already late for the flight, and
the queue to get through the security
checks looked jammed.
This was serious.
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Finding a corner and
frantically unzipping my luggage,
I gave myself a familiar lecture.
Why didn’t I travel a little more
lightly? I’d never use most of
what I’d packed anyway ...
And to make
things worse,
I had nobody else to blame if I missed
my flight. I’d chosen each and every
item to pack – if packing is the right
word to describe hurling items
into a bag at high speed.
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Life can weigh heavy. Others dump demands
on us. Our schedules get stacked. Mobiles
ring. Texts beep. Email boxes fill. People let
us down. Relationships can hurt.
And it’s not just today’s ‘stuff’. We drag
yesterday’s disappointments or broken dreams
around, and then peer anxiously at tomorrow.
And it’s not just about us.
We look around, and see a world laden with
pain. Poverty threatens many people; millions
will go to bed hungry tonight. Human greed
plunders the planet, relentlessly trashing the
environment. War and terrorism threatens;
humans are trafficked daily.
And then there are nagging questions: what’s
the point of all this – where am I going anyway?
Do I have a clear destination, a purpose? Is the
heavyweight life the way it’s supposed to be?
es
According to one Person,
there are answers.
the
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Two thousand years ago, Jesus
was born into a working family.
They lived with more pressures
than most; shoved around
by form-waving officialdom,
they were even chased by
authorities who wanted to see
their newborn child dead. For
a while they were fugitives, a
family on the run. Jesus was
raised, a boy living in occupied
territory, a tradesman’s son. No
silver spoon for Him. He knew all
about the weight of life.
When He began teaching and doing
miracles, heads turned. He shocked and
surprised. His message wasn’t ‘Obey the rules, and
do your best’. He didn’t offer do-gooder religion as the
way to find peace, but exposed it as potential excess
baggage, describing some of the religious leaders of
His day like this:
‘… they package … bundles of rules, loading you
down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in
watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t
think of lifting a finger to help’
Matthew chapter 23, verse 4 (The Message)
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He came to show us what God looks like. That He loves
us all, and wants us to know Him. He is the Creator, and
He designed us to walk through life with Him. The Bible
begins with humans knowing God, up close and personal.
It was very, very good.
But, given the choice, humanity decided to walk away
from God and live independently. Now we’re adrift, lost,
needing rescue. We’ve failed, gone our own way.
Jesus taught that we don’t just need to improve, do better
or make progress.
We need a total turnaround, and a rethink.
And then He gave a stunning invitation.
He invited us all to a reunion.
Come to me, all you who
are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.’
Matthew chapter 11, verse 28 (NIV)
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Decisions, decisions …
Back in the airport, I repacked my bags …
and managed to repack my passport too – at the bottom
of the wonky rollalong. At long last, passport in hand –
I passed through security and boarded the flight.
Relieved to be in my seat, I realised that journeys take
a lot of thought and preparation.
Ticket.
Passport.
Brochures to scan.
Packing to plan.
And the journey that Jesus now invites you to take with
Him takes some careful consideration too.
He invites you to make a thoughtful choice, in response
to His invitation: ‘Come to me.’
When He walked this earth, people made dramatic choices
about Jesus. Some chose to be His followers and friends,
and it cost them everything – even their lives. And others
hated Him with an irrational passion.
The same is true today.
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The invitation is still good.
Jesus still says ‘Come’.
Perhaps this is something you’d like to ponder.
If you feel ready to respond to His invitation,
you may like to use this prayer:
Prayer
Jesus, I come to Yo
u.
With all that weigh
s me down, I com
e.
I choose to put m
y faith and trust in
You.
Forgive me for all
that is wrong in m
y life.
Thank You for dyin
g for me,
so that I might ex
perience a new lif
e through You.
Thank You that Yo
u are alive, and th
at I can know You
Show me how to
always.
live for You from th
is day on – be my
Lord.
Show me how to
live with You – be
my friend.
Strengthen me, di
rect me, and touc
h
the broken world
through me.
I make you my pr
iority, my purpose,
my confidence,
my defender, my
guide, my Lord an
d my God.
Thank You for hear
ing my prayer.
Amen.
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If you have prayed this prayer it will be
important for you to:
• Tell someone
• Find a local church you can join
• Get hold of a copy of the Bible (for example
the NIV or The Message translation)
• Find a way to read and understand it
that suits you – the Gospel of Mark is
a good starting point – or you may like
to read Travelling Through Life Every Day
for New Christians written by Jeff Lucas
Copyright © CWR, 2011.
Published 2011 by CWR, Waverley Abbey House, Waverley
Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8EP, UK. Registered Charity No.
294387. Registered Limited Company No. 1990308.
The right of Jeff Lucas to be identified as the author of
this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWR.
ays.
d.
For a list of CWR’s National Distributors,
visit www.cwr.org.uk/distributors
Bible quotations: NIV: The Holy Bible: New International
Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the
International Bible Society.
The Message: Scripture taken from The Message.
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002.
Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Concept development, editing, design and production by CWR.
Printed in Croatia by Zrinski
ISBN: 978-1-85345-599-5
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Find the key to living lightly
There’s a lot in this world that can
weigh us down: the baggage of the past,
the pressures of everyday life, concerns
about society and global issues.
But there’s relief, freedom
and hope to be found.
International author, speaker and
broadcaster Jeff Lucas introduces
Jesus, the One who offers real help
and hope, to set us free from the
past and give meaning and purpose
to our lives.
I S B N 978-1-85345-599-5
Website: www.cwr.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
9
781853 455995
Applying God’s Word to everyday life and relationships
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