Carry-On

This week I repeated a process that I have become very familiar with… a small roller-bag suitcase sits on the floor of my bathroom while I look at the clothing options in my closet and decide what will fit inside the restricted space; this time for a trip to Philadelphia. I consider who I will be meeting with, where I will be staying, and how long I’ll be gone.

Obviously, if I could fit everything I own in the suitcase that would make the decision making process a bit easier; I cannot. And so I decide. Sometimes well, other times, not so well.

So with a neatly packed bag I head off to Denver International Airport. Never believing that I had fully packed every possible option, but confident that what I was able to fit in my suitcase will serve me well.

During the three hours that my flight took, I spent time in God’s Word… specifically in the book of Revelation. The vastness of the descriptions, the fullness of the instruction from Jesus, the power of the words that were communicated overwhelmed me. Yet, at the same time, this incomprehensible reality provided comfort.

I realized, with renewed clarity, that the capacity of my own understanding was but a small carry-on bag in the journey. My mind, my reason, and even my heart, don’t have the space to contain or fully comprehend the height, or the breath, or the richness of the God that loves me.

This reality doesn’t frustrate me… it reassures me. Different experiences in life and different timeframes will demand that my case is filled with different content. But I know that whatever the circumstance or situation, the closet is full.

I don’t pretend to think that I will ever come close to containing all that God possesses, but as I study, as I pray, as I mediate on the truth of God’s Word and His world… my capacity grows… my carry-on becomes a checked bag, and my awe increases.

"Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure." ~ Psalm 147:5

Frustration gives way to confidence. Whatever I need is in the closet. It may not be in my suitcase today; after all, there are only certain things that I’ll need while I’m in Pennsylvania, but it’s there… for the trip to the mountains or the beach or the valley or the desert, and yes, for the trip to paradise.