GLEANINGS FROM PRICE LIBRARY by Ruth Abbott

Max Lucado's new book Traveling Light has some wonderful advice for those who travel through life with lots of baggage. He even gives names to the luggage: the suitcase of guilt, the duffle bag of weariness, the hanging bag of grief, the carry-on bag of loneliness, the trunk of fear and the briefcase of perfectionism.

No wonder we are so bogged down. If we let Him, God will lighten our load. Using the 23rd Psalm, Max tells us how to discard those heavy bags.

But, if we hold onto the chest of self reliance, he says that we might end up with a 23rd Psalm reading like this:

"I am my own shepherd.
I am always in need.
I stumble from mall to mall and shrink to shrink, seeking relief but never finding it.
I creep through the valley of death and fall apart.
I fear everything from pesticides to power lines, and I'm starting to act like my own mother.
I go down to the weekly staff meeting and am surrounded by enemies.
I go home and even my goldfish scowls at me.
I anoint my head with extra strength Tylenol.
My Jack Daniel's runneth over.
Surely misery and misfortune will follow me and I will live in self doubt for the rest of my lonely life."

That seems like a sad way to live.

Instead this book suggests that, "For the sake of those you love, travel light. For the sake of the God you serve, travel light. For the sake of your own joy, travel light." This sounds good to me and I want the Good Shepherd to be my travel guide as I journey to my "Forever Home".

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