Baggage

On Thursday, I unpacked a navy blue duffle bag.  It didn't have much in it.  They seldom do.  It's not the first one I've unpacked.  In fact, I've helped unpack more than two dozen of them.  You see, navy blue duffle bags are what the children's shelter packs all the kids' stuff in to send them to their foster families.

This one belonged to a seven-year-old boy, the precious newest member of our family.  I helped him unload his meager belongings, a small pile of clothes and a few McDonald's toys, and took his duffle bag downstairs.  As I tossed it to the back of the closet onto the pile of navy blue duffle bags that has accumulated there, this thought flashed through my mind:

"These kids come with so much baggage."

It wasn't figurative at the beginning of the thought, but it was by the end.  Because it's true.  They all come with baggage.  Some come with more than others, but if they're coming to our home from the shelter, they all have at least a little.

Buried inside that baggage is all the good stuff they bring.  Physically, their baggage is wrapped around their clothes and toys and sometimes one small thing from home.  Figuratively, their baggage is wrapped around sweet smiles, big hearts, intelligent minds, bright personalities, and passion for the Lord.

As a foster family, we have a job.  And it's not to get rid of the baggage.  You see, you can't get rid of their baggage.  You can't erase their memories.  You can't undo their experiences.  Our job isn't to get rid of the baggage.

Our job is to dig into the baggage and unpack all the good.  Unpack all the good, and add to it.

Physically, we add to their sparse wardrobe and provide for their needs.  We get them favorite new toys, the likes of which they've probably never had. 

Figuratively, we return their smiles, pour love into their hearts, feed their minds, appreciate their personalities, and teach them about the Lord.

But what do we do with their baggage?  Honestly, sometimes we don't know.  And neither do they.  So we toss it to the back of the closet.

Sometimes it looms and it seems to fill the whole closet and spill out into the hallway to be tripped over by everyone who passes.

Sometimes it shrinks to the back and is almost forgotten.  Almost.

Sometimes it comes back out in a very matter-of-fact way.  Like the other day when I rearranged the closet and pulled out the stack of duffle bags.  Our six-year-old remembered what they were, and we had a good talk about where they came from and reminisced about the day she came to live with us.

They all come with baggage.  When they arrive, their whole life fits inside it, is swallowed up by it.  Our job is to make sure that when they leave, their life is so overflowing that you can't even see the navy blue duffle bag underneath.

~

This post was originally going to be about foster kids and end with the sentence above.  But then I put it off until today, and today is Mother's Day.  Not only does my mom have foster kids with baggage, she also has biological kids...with baggage.

Because let's face it--we all come into this world with baggage, don't we?

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."  (Psalm 51:5)  Baggage from the very beginning.

Before we're even born, we come with the baggage of morning sickness and weird cravings.

As infants, we come with the baggage of sleepless nights and dirty diapers.

As toddlers, we come with the baggage of messes and tantrums.

As kids, we come with the baggage of fights with siblings and an innate drive to test boundaries.

As teenagers, we come with defiance and stupid choices and know-it-all attitudes.

As adults, we come with bigger baggage, which is now compounded by our own kids' baggage.

...and that's the short list, isn't it?  Yes, whether we come from the shelter or the womb, we come with baggage.

But He knew we would.  So He created a wonderful group of people and taught them how to deal with it.  He taught them how to dig into our baggage, unpack the good, and add to it.  He taught them how to make our lives overflow with Him and His blessings so that our navy blue duffle bags are but a distant memory, buried beneath an abundance of grace.  He made them, He gave them to us, and we call them Mommy.

Here's to the best Mommy in the world!  Thank you for constantly burying our baggage in blessings.  I love you!

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.'" (Proverbs 31:28-29)