Traveling Light . . . by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

Living with purpose is a beautiful thing. Some of us do it every day. Some of us feel that sense of meaningful purpose just once in a while… or not at all. One of the things we can do to cultivate that sense of purpose is to “travel light”. Don’t get bogged down with so much stuff. Pay attention to all you’re “carrying” that might be distracting you or weighing you down.

Max Lucado’s book, Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear, has much food for thought on this topic. He starts out with a comedic description of his own boy-scoutish tendency to “be prepared” for everything and therefore leave nothing behind. Then he gets us thinking…

"I don’t know how to travel without granola bars, sodas, and rain gear. I don’t know how to travel without flashlights and a generator and a global tracking system. I don’t know how to travel without an ice chest of wieners. What if I stumble upon a backyard barbecue? To bring nothing to the party would be rude…

…I need to learn to travel light. You’re wondering why I can’t. "Loosen up!" you’re thinking. "You can’t enjoy a journey carrying so much stuff. Why don’t you just drop all that luggage?"

Funny you should ask. I’d like to inquire the same of you. Haven’t you been known to pick up a few bags?

Odds are, you did this morning. Somewhere between the first step on the floor and the last step out the door, you grabbed some luggage. You stepped over to the baggage carousel and loaded up. Don’t remember doing so? That’s because you did it without thinking. Don’t remember seeing a baggage terminal? That’s because the carousel is not the one in the airport; it’s the one in the mind. And the bags we grab are not made of leather; they’re made of burdens.

The suitcase of guilt. A sack of discontent. You drape a duffel bag of weariness on one shoulder and a hanging bag of grief on the other. Add on a backpack of doubt, an overnight bag of loneliness, and a trunk of fear. Pretty soon you’re pulling more stuff than a skycap. No wonder you’re so tired at the end of the day. Lugging baggage is exhausting."
-excerpt from Traveling Light, by Max Lucado

Take a moment to consider what kind of extra stuff you carry… and how you might benefit from letting some of it go. Then check out this reading from the Bible, where Luke gives us an account of how Jesus sent off a whole slew of folks on an important mission: Luke 10:1-9

I don’t know about you, but I would love to be a part of such an intensely focused mission… where the most important thing you have in your pocket is peace. And healing. And some awesome news to share! Travel light, Jesus directs, so you can be focused on the oh-so-vital job I’ve given you. Focused and free.

But let’s face it. Letting go of stuff – whether it’s material stuff or emotional stuff — is so so hard. It’s so hard for me to let go of the little things I’ve collected that bring back treasured memories. Each time I let go is like a little death. And as hard as it is to let go of the positive things, it can be even tougher to let go of the negative stuff that clings on.

…I was hauling those souvenirs of misery
And with each step taken my back was breakin’…

Sara Groves’ and Joel Hansen’s duet, Traveling Light, grabbed my attention with those words “souvenirs of misery”. Why in the world would one carry stuff that reminds you of awfulness? See where this song takes you in answering that question: video  lyrics .

There’s lots of wisdom in Jesus’ choice to send out his crew in teams. Loning it doesn’t work. We can begin to drop the unnecessary baggage when we’ve got team support to do it, when there are other travelers walking beside us to keep our spirits lifted. And when that team spirit bubbles up from the love God gives us in Jesus… and not just our own desire to “improve ourselves”… then that love can ripple out from us to affect others on the journey.

Healing Spirit of Jesus, bubble within us that desire to be out there in your world, filled with purpose, loving your people. Help us to let go of all that weighs us down. When that feels like death to let go, walk beside us to show us the new life you would have us find. We can’t do it without you and the people you give us to team with. Lead us on! In your holy name we pray… amen.

Continue the conversation by leaving your comments below and/or by joining the btw community Thursday (July 1), 7pmEST, for our audio skype conversation. If you’re new to skype, set up your identity at http://www.skype.com/, then look for “bythewaycommunity”. All are welcome! Come as you are.