Devotions to Conquer Anxiety and DepressionMostră

Preparing for the Journey Ahead

If you’ve ever packed for a vacation, you know what it’s like—you stare at mounds of clothes in your suitcase and wonder, “How much of this am I really going to need?” The truth is some women overprepare. We pack too many shoes, too many blouses, too many pieces of jewelry. We’re so overburdened with stuff that the journey gets off to a rocky start. Now think about this from a spiritual perspective. Picture the Israelites in the wilderness. They could only take with them what they could carry for the journey. Too much baggage and the journey would be slow going. If you knew the Lord was about to lead you into a new experience with Him, what would you take with you? Maybe it’s time to scale back. Ask God what’s important to keep—and what to get rid of. Shake off the nonessentials (things like bitterness, unforgiveness, and anger) and move forward into a new place with the Lord. He will replace those missing items with things like peace, joy, and love. Ah, now that’s traveling light!

Prayer: Lord, I don’t want to make my journey harder than it already is. I don’t want to drag around weighty things like bitterness, jealousy, pain, and frustration. Today I lay those things down. Please refill my spiritual luggage with peace, joy, hope, and gentleness.