He Packed My Suitcase

I already mentioned the comforting imagery of imagining yourself in the warm, loving embrace of the Best and most Powerful Father possible.

Now I want to take it a step further. Imagine your Father is sending you on a long and ardous journey. He wants your success more than anything. The journey after all, is for the purpose of accomplishing something for Him. So, in order to help you succeed, he prepares as much information and supplies as you will need for the trip.

Imagine, the loving Father, tucking some last minute things into your suitcase, trying to ensure that you have everything you need.

And so you set off.

Along your journey, you start to notice that there are so many things you never would have thought to bring along, that are in your suitcase. Things you never knew you needed, yet things you never would have managed without.

It is then that you begin to realize the wisdom of your Father. He may have sent you on this trip, but you are not alone. You have His guidance, through His instructions, and through the suitcase full of supplies that He packed, especially for you. And therefore you know that you are never alone.

All the talents you have, are simply tools that you need, that have been put in your suitcase, to ensure your success on your journey.

Taking this a step further, let's put our "pekelach" in life into those suitcases. Let's say that whatever pain I am forced to go though is a "medicine" that my Father put into my suitcase. It might taste bitter, and it might not be so enjoyable, but it's really just there to help me.

But I can't take your medicine.

It won't make me better. It will make me sicker. So comparing my medicine with your medicine is silly. My Father packed me exactly the medicines I will need to be healthy. And He packed you the ones you need.

Some times I start to feel silly complaining about the various things going on in my life when there are people who are suffering through, what I percieve to be, much greater suffering. But it's silly. I am going on a different journey, and I have a different suitcase, with different supplies, different medicines, different tools for success.

The bitterness of your medicine doesn't take away from the bitterness of mine.

But we really just have to remember that it's medicine. While it might be bitter, it's main purpose is to make us into better people.