A Green Flowered Bag in a Black Suitcase World

I was waiting for my luggage at the airport the other day and made an interesting observation. I would conservatively estimate that about ninety percent of all travelers have black luggage. If you have a black suitcase on wheels, forget about just reaching out, grabbing it off the luggage carousel and rolling on your merry way. Just try it and you could very possibly get mugged by a dozen or so other black-luggage-lugging passengers.

I had to take my husband’s black luggage on a trip awhile back and lost two nails in a bad black suitcase war. I think I still have a couple of emotional scars from that one. Talk about emotional baggage.

Back to the airport...it was actually pretty funny watching the crowd. As tons of luggage came sliding down to the carousel and the crowd spotted a black, wheeled bag coming down the pike, the entire mob would lean in. As the bag got closer, they would all circle around it. It could’ve been a dance number in a bad Broadway production.

Three or four would reach for it to try to check the tags. There would be several awkward smiles and then, for that one person (who had probably already reached for the wrong bag a good dozen times), it would be sort of like when someone wins on the Price is Right and gets to go on stage with Bob Barker (or whoever). “I won! It’s mine!”

This time I got to simply stand back and observe. Why? Because my luggage is green. Not just green, but green with flowers. And if that’s not distinctive enough, I’ve tied a white scarf in a giant white bow around the handle. I can identify my luggage before it’s even all the way down the chute. Never a doubt. I always know when mine is coming.

Jesus knows us that way. He can see us coming. How glorious to be assured that we are identified as His. And not only are we His, but He is ours.

The Bible tells us that everyone who is born of God wins. First John 5:4 says, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (NIV).

There’s a lot of dark stuff in this world. But for those of us who’ve by faith given our lives to Christ, there’s a bright and shining victory—brighter than the brightest green luggage and more distinctive than any white bow. You can say, “I won! Victory is mine! Joy is mine! JESUS is mine!” There’s such joy in becoming a green-flowered bag in a black suitcase world.

So go ahead. Check the name tag. If you’re His, your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It’s settled. Never a doubt. The suitcase is yours.

And this is actually a good time to be left holding the bag.

Rhonda Rhea is a radio personality and a conference speaker for events all over the country. She is the wife of First Baptist Church of Troy, Missouri’s pastor, Richie Rhea, and mother of five (three in college and two more teens at home). She has authored several fun and fruitful books, including Who Put the Cat in the Fridge, I’m Dreaming of Some White Chocolate, and more. You can find her newest book, High Heels in High Places—Walking Worthy in Way Cute Shoes in book stores or find out more at www.RhondaRhea.org.