Baggage

          “Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.  Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken.  And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.  Therefore they inquired further of the Lord, ‘Has the man come here yet?’ So the Lord said, ‘Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage” (1 Samuel 10:20-22).
          Not a very auspicious start for the one chosen by God to be the king of Israel!  And to be fair, it's true that this wasn’t a calling that Saul sought to begin with.  When he had set out from home, all he was seeking was his father’s donkeys.  Now he had been anointed as king by a prophet of God.  Talk about a sudden and intimidating career change!  Is it any wonder that, on the day of his public coronation, Saul is nowhere to be found?  And he might have avoided it totally if the Lord hadn’t blown his cover.  Saul was found to be “...hiding himself by the baggage."
          It’s tempting to hide among the “baggage” of life, isn’t it?  Everyone has “baggage” that can be used as cover to hide from God’s call in their life.  It might be emotional baggage, such as anger over past slights or anxiety over past failures.  It might be relational baggage, such as a failed marriage or estrangement from friends and family.  It might be physical baggage, such as bodily illness or injury.  It could even be spiritual baggage, such as damage done by the failings of spiritual mentors in your life.
          Life’s baggage is real and can be very painful.  But it is a poor place to hide!  God can see through it better than an airport security scanner.  It’s time to quit hiding among our baggage and embrace God’s call in our lives.  Only Satan wins when we use our baggage to keep us from serving God and each other.

God loves you!
Mike