Every time I stand at the baggage carousel in an airport, I am reminded that everybody prays. Not long ago, while joining this circle of prayer, watching well-worn bags revolve in front of me, I was overcome with a sense of déjà vu. What did this remind me of? Then it hit me: pastoral counseling.

Seldom do people make appointments with a pastor to say everything is fine and they're just so grateful they can't stand it. No, they come to a pastor when they are weary from their journey. For a while they may have checked their baggage as they flew through another new job or relationship, but eventually the time always comes to take possession of their issues. That's when they need spiritual help.

As they talk, the old baggage eventually appears. It usually isn't long before the parent baggage tumbles down the chute (that's a big one), trailed by the self-esteem baggage, and the bag marked "unsatisfying work." They may want to discuss their dreams, which is the baggage that somehow got lost. ...