Excess Baggage

Some of us could be hiding a little "excess baggage" under our loose t-shirts right now.  But that's not what I am posting about today- thank goodness!

The words excess baggage also make me sweat just thinking about our upcoming trip back to Australia and all the bits and pieces we need try to fill our cases with: brochures, newsletters, gifts and of course our bulky winter clothes (that only get worn in Australia) making packing a time consuming process as we have to carefully spread the weight around and ensure that each bag does not go past its limit.  
But that's not the excess baggage I am posting about today either.  [I still have 38 more days to think about that!]


What I was actually referring to in the title, is the state of my handbag right now.

 ~

I ripped a fingernail the other day so I went in search for some nail clippers in my bag.  

I was sure I had some... somewhere! 

Instead of nail clippers though what I found shocked me and left me feeling... well...pretty embarrassed actually.

It was what I had been lugging around on my shoulder.  
One out-of-control, ridiculously heavy handbag. 

No wonder my neck has been sore recently.

How have I accumulated so much stuff ? 

I was thinking, if they ever make a reality show where they choose random women to empty their handbags out and see what's in them, I think I should be nominated for it.  And if there was a prize for the person carrying around more than what would seem physically possible, then I'd definitely be in the running.

Now, just to clarify, my kids aren't babies anymore.  This is not one of those big nappy/diaper-bags we're talking about.  Oh no, it a regular, over your shoulder, pop down the street, meant-to-just-carry-a-few-things sort of a bag.

Okay, in an act of pure honesty, ... and in an attempt to shock myself into not ever letting it GET THIS BAD again, I am now going to list everything in my bag!! (imagine me tipping it out now) {insert gasp here}


Here it is friends: (if I type really small, it might seem like less!!)
sunglasses
wet wipes
packet of tissues
wallet
(not too bad so far...)
numerous pens/pencils/eraser and a pencil sharpener
hair elastic (o.k. more than just one)
phone
random letter in envelope
lacteeze tablets (for Dave and Eli)
tube of 50+ sunscreen
lip balm x2
bandaids
Nurafen
ventalin puffer
scrap of material
hand sanitizer
chewing gum
wallet of all my 'members cards for grocery shops etc'hair brush (and a comb)
tiger balm neck rub
toothpaste (a small tube)
mouthwash (given free at the shops the other day)
travel sickness tablets
concealer stick
old shopping list x2
diary
body spray AND
Thai alphabet flashcards
More like a survival kit isn't it?... I know!!!  And now you know why I was so shocked that there were no nail clippers in there.  Unbelievable, right?

Oh dear!  It's time for a clean out I think.


And then, all this excess baggage got me thinking and questioning how much other excess baggage I just might be carrying.

How that hurtful comment, unanswered email, short reply or sarcastic utterance meant I added extra baggage to my heart this week.  How unforgiveness or unrepentance meant that my heart felt weightier than it needed to.  How when I’d felt worried or stressed by a deadline I took that all upon myself and carried it around like a big, heavy burden.

How I couldn’t find what I really needed because everything else just seemed to weigh me down.

 ~

Ever get to the end of a school term and ask your kids to clean out their school bags?  It’s amazing (and sometimes disgusting) what you’ll find in there.  Like a moldy banana peel, an odd screwed up sock, letters from their friends, the watch you’d bought them to wear and nobody knew where it went, the note you wrote after they were absent from school sick five weeks ago or the missing swimming goggles that you’d already replaced.

Sometimes, we just need to have clean-outs more regularly, yes?

And it’s the same for our attitudes and our hearts too.

If you’re burdened by the weight of an unresolved argument, the sadness or confusion at the lack of communication or the stubbornness to apologise for something that you could’ve changed…

How about having a clean out this week?

Let’s not leave our hearts unattended, heavy and hurting when we have access to the One who comforts us in our sadness, who calms the storms and who forgives us that we might forgive others. 

I'm going to be cleaning out my bag and checking on my heart this week too!

Got more in your handbag than me?  Leave a comment!!