Unclaimed Baggage? I don't think so...

Just came back from vacation last week.  It was awesome in an ordinary sort of way....which is good.  We  spent two days with each of our sons, with their families in and near their homes, relaxing, hanging out, celebrating and doing life together.

They were gracious, allowing us to be in their homes and sharing their lives with us.  One of the places we went was the Unclaimed Baggage Center in North Alabama.  It was a fascinating place, anything you can imagine that could be left on an airplane was there.  Bottles of tylenol, Persian rugs worth thousands of dollars, artwork, neck pillows, clothing from all countries, wedding gowns, art work,  cell phones, a power cord for any device,  you name it!  It kind of makes you wonder about the history behind some of the things left behind or lost.  One thing that struck us as "odd" was that attached to one end of the building were the gates to a cemetery... Unclaimed Baggage?  A cemetery? a correlation?  could be............

I know, I feel that I am always trying to place a spiritual implication on everything, but how many people live their lives right alongside us, and in the end, have never been claimed by anyone?  They have been cast aside as useless,  unclaimed by family, friends, or discarded in some way.  Maybe someone even gave up on trying to find them.  Maybe they thought they were living lives of purpose, but were unclaimed by those they thought they were made to serve.

There are days when I feel like "unclaimed baggage" , and if you're honest with yourself, I bet you do too, sometimes.

The other thing that amazed me was how much fun it was finding a "treasure" amidst all of the baggage there!  The person that cast it off, or left it, or lost it, may have forgotten about it, but someone else saw it as a treasure, a remarkable find, a new purpose to an old object....no longer unclaimed and cast off, but having truly found a new purpose!

Of Course, our God claims us, redeems us in Christ, gives us, a new purpose and makes us His own.  But in another sense, it is our responsibility to make others feel claimed, loved and worthy of a place in God's world.  God intended that no one should end up in a cemetery having lived a life of unclaimed worth or purpose.  It's our job to show them God's love through us, to make them feel worthy, and to point them to the one that will claim them forever.

Yes, I have days when I don't understand my worth or value to anyone here on this earth, but then I remember that I am not Unclaimed baggage, I am of value and worth to my Lord and it is my job to help others find their way to the best baggage handler of all!