Lessons Learned on the Journey

Travel Lightly

Travel lightly! These are wise words that have become increasingly real to me as my travel has multiplied. The airlines tell me that I may check two pieces of baggage, not to exceed 70 pounds each. When I travel with what is allowed, however, I experience:

		fatigue and physical aches from the heavy weight
		the nuisance of too many bags

I am learning to travel more lightly. Much of what I thought I needed is not necessary.

Baggage comes in many forms. For instance, a Nigerian immigrant told me that he came to Hungary with two heavy bags. One was an "African cultural" bag and the other was an "African church" bag. Both were heavy weights. However, he said, "I am slowly learning to follow Jesus and not carry the heavy weights of my baggage."

Our spiritual journey is rigorous and requires light baggage. However, if you are like me, you may often carry unnecessary baggage that causes fatigue or gets in the way of a growing faith. Sometimes I think I need to carry "70 pounds of money" or "70 pounds of security" or "70 pounds of recognition". When it becomes a burden in my walk with Jesus, it is time to leave it on the wayside.

This week, let’s assess our baggage. Is it a burden on our shoulders or a nuisance in our path to knowing Jesus?

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)