One year, my family took a vacation to Lake Tahoe.   We lugged a variety of suitcases and backpacks through the airport to check-in.  As we stood in the long line waiting,  we watched as dozens of bags were weighed, identifications shown, and seat assignments given.  When we finally got to the front of the line, they weighed my sister-in-law’s bag and discovered it was too heavy to meet the weight requirements.  So right there in front of everyone she had to open her luggage and lighten the load.  Digging through well-packed clothes, carefully placed shoes, and strategically placed accessories, she decided what items would be left behind.  Quite frankly, she really wanted to take it all with her.

Our lives can follow a similar pattern.  Sometimes we hold on to things that we really don’t need in our future: anger, resentment, guilt, shame, or unforgiveness.  It’s time to lighten the load.  Isaiah 48:18-19, “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”  God wants you to have a fresh start.  He wants to lead you to a future filled with hope, expectation, and new possibilities. “From now on I will tell you new things, of hidden things unknown to you.  They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today.”  So let go of that heavy baggage and grab ahold of the promise God has for you, “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter until the full light of day.”  (Proverbs 4:18) Take that first step, but put your sunglasses on, because your future is shining brightly.