What’s So Heavy?

The purse that I carry on a regular basis has the potential to become weighed down quickly because of its design.  Because of this, I have mastered the art of knowing how much to place within the respective compartments to keep the bag at a manageable weight – particularly to give my shoulder and back a break.

Recently I noticed that the bag had become increasingly heavy and I was unable to determine the reason. It simply felt like I was carrying an extra five pounds; there was nothing in my bag that weighed that much.

As I looked in my bag to attempt to find the culprit, I began removing one item at a time and then lifting the bag to see if the weight changed after the item was removed.  One by one I removed one item, then another, then a different item, etc., etc. I hardly had anything in my purse.  The bag was still exceptionally heavy when removing those items, so I figured the items were not the cause of the extra weight.

Finally, my eyes fixated on a change purse that I had been using for several months that was a souvenir from China.  “Surely that little thing can’t be adding all of this extra weight,” I said to myself.  Coins were often scattered throughout my bag, particularly on the bottom, and had not previously caused problems.  The change purse was being used in an attempt to become more organized.

Change Purse

Change Purse

I removed the change purse and then lifted my bag.  Viola! That was it.  My purse literally felt five pounds lighter after removing the change purse. I wondered how something so small caused so much weight.  Yet often in life, it is the little things that add up that tend to cause the most challenges.

Yes, I know – coins are heavy, but there weren’t that many coins in the change purse.  In fact, I have carried the same amount of coins in my purse without the bag becoming weighty.  I suppose the concentration of the coins in one location made the difference.

This incident actually happened several months ago.  An event within the last week, however, reminded me of the parallel between the change purse and the heart – hence the reason the reflection is being shared instead of the originally scheduled reflection.

For all intents and purposes, coins (change) are positive things. It’s money that may be used to obtain needed or wanted items.  The money may be used to help someone else as well.

The reason the change purse became heavy is because I began to hold onto the change, stuffing the coins in the little bag and rarely removing any.  This reminded me of how we sometimes become weighty in our hearts when we hold onto good things that may benefit others.  What do I mean?  One way to feel better emotionally is to do something for someone else without expecting anything in return.  A compliment, a good deed, a word of encouragement, etc., will lighten one’s soul when a boost is needed.

The other parallel that came to mind was how an attitude here, an offense there, moments of frustration or unforgiveness all stored in the heart –in a seemingly beautiful package – weighs one down.   A person may exclaim, “But it’s not that much_____,” all the while failing to realize the true impact of the small collection of stored emotions, particularly when one flares up unexpectedly – for eventually the heart will become full and overflow with its content.

I have since removed the beautiful change purse from my bag, and what a world of difference that has made, for I no longer wonder, “What’s so heavy?”  Now on to the heart!