Shopping for Suitcases

I never thought shopping for suitcases would excite me, but it did earlier this week. On Monday, Debbie and I had a rare day to be alone so we maximized it by visiting 5 or 6 Ross discount stores. Before you wonder how visiting 6 Ross stores is 'maximizing' your time together, hear me out. You see our family is getting ready for a grand full family vacation. By full family vacation I'm talking about 15 people. My parents, my brother and his daughters, my children, grandchildren, Debbie and Rachel - we are all going on a grand family vacation for 9 days. I'm so ready for 9 days of doing nothing but getting a tan, sipping on cool drinks, taking walks, enjoy the ocean and sitting around eating good food and telling tall stories. So, our luggage has been around the world a couple of times and has broken zippers and tears in the fabric, it is time for new luggage. Deb and I took off and enjoyed breakfast together at Mimi Cafe's and then off to the first Ross store we went. We found a nice suitcase but we wanted to find three that are alike or at least similar. The prices are great at Ross, but you never know what they will have in stock. Off to the second store. We found another piece of luggage close to the first one so we bought it and then off to the third store, then the forth, fifth and sixth. I was actually excited to get to each store to see what they had to offer. We ended up with three nice and inexpensive pieces of luggage. I came home and lined them up in our master bathroom. As I stared at the three pieces of luggage, I began to dream about checking in at the airport for out vacation (with our new luggage) and decided right there that the luggage would remained lined up in our bathroom for the next 60 days until our vacation. When I told Debbie of my decision, she just rolled her eyes, but I knew it would keep me excited about our vacation each time I passed them by. In my office I have a large wooden sign that says "Believe". Every time I look at it, I dream about people I know who are moving closer and closer to Jesus. I will dream, just for a moment, about a friend and ask Jesus to continue to woo them closer to Him. Communion is another symbol of dreaming for me. When I see or experience communion my heart is reminded to be thankful for all that Christ has done for us and that He is coming back to get us. The more I think about the word 'Believe' or I see the bread and cup of Jesus, I dream about something greater. These symbols will often cause me to think about heaven - that eternal vacation with Jesus Himself. My bags are not packed, but every time I walk by the luggage in my bathroom, they call out to me to think about my upcoming vacation. Why not have some things in your life that cause you to dream about heaven and other spiritual realities. It might just keep you going strong on your spiritual journey.