Pack Light

Sunday, April 29, 2012 Posted by Joline

I have no idea why, but every time I prepare for a trip, my mother says, "Pack light!" as if she's giving me a new piece of advice.

Perhaps it's because she's a seasoned world traveler and doesn't want me to pay those ridiculous, "Hey, you wanna check luggage? That will be a gazillion dollars!" fee.

Or, it's because she remembers how much I would pack whenever we traveled during my teenage years - all my outfits meticulously planned down to the matching plastic '80's bangle bracelet.

Could be that she's just smart and knows we don't NEED to take everything with us.

You can't take it with you. (Don't tell me you've not heard that before.)

The "treasures" we accumulate do not have a ticket to our final destination nor will they help us prepare for that eternal journey.

Treasures . . . what are they? Material? Titles? Relationships? I treasure the desire to be understood. I can not stand being misquoted, having my words twisted, or there being any loose ends/lack of closure when there has been a misunderstanding. Some treasure, huh? Imagine trying to carry that pressure around.

The result? An over-packed suitcase - on the verge of bursting.

It is human nature to want to be prepared.

But it's God's nature that desires us to release, leave behind, set free what we choose to treat as treasures.

Ultimately, we will have to give them up. So why lug them around while here on Earth?

Time for a personal inventory. Of those things to which we cling - do we need to 1) keep them, 2) give them away, or 3) pitch them forever?

How will we know? Philippians 4:8 has been a good pack-o-meter for me. I highly recommend it.