TRAVELING LIGHT

Jeremiah 8:8-9:26; Colossians 3:1-17; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 24:27

“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches.  But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

“But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. ... Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.

“Then they remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their redeemer. But all they gave him was lip service; they lied to him with their tongues. Their hearts were not loyal to him. They did not keep his covenant. Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and did not destroy them all. Many times he held back his anger and did not unleash his fury!”

“Do your planning and develop your business before building your house.”

Anyone who has even towed a boat or trailer knows the difficulties associated with trying to maneuver in a space too small or too close. Looking at the situation and estimating the space needed, it is easy to fool ourselves into thinking we have enough room to get by. However, once the car or truck is hooked up and the transport actually begins, we learn – often to our chagrin – that we simply did not give ourselves enough room. In a really severe miscalculation, if we have already moved from our original position, we are literally left with nowhere to go. Usually, the only solution is to uncouple the trailer from the vehicle, reposition the vehicle so it is in a better towing angle and start the process over. It can be time consuming and character testing work. But mainly, it is a situation that could have been avoided with a little more planning or a bit more accurate understanding of the facts, or just by leaving the load behind altogether.

Such is our life with the Spirit. We look at our situation and the physical and spiritual things we tow around behind us, and we think we can continue to carry it all down the road He calls us to travel. But we are wrong. We start off with great enthusiasm… until we encounter a curve or barrier we did not anticipate and which we cannot get around with all that stuff hitched on behind. We then face a choice. Sometimes, a little repositioning is all that’s needed. More often than not, however, we have a bigger decision to make. Either we jettison some of our towed load and leave it behind, or we remain stuck at the obstacle. For many, just like those unfamiliar with handling a trailer, it is practically impossible to go backwards. They remain sandwiched between the barrier forward and the stuff behind them. Others painstakingly retreat, eventually ending up back where they started, twice as reluctant to ever try to negotiate the course of Christ again.

But there remain those brave few who do elect to give up the things that hold them back from the new road Jesus has built for them. They unload their burdens (finally seeing them as what they are) and decide to travel light so they can move forward in reliance on the provision of God. Every one of today’s quoted verses deals in one way or another with our decision to travel light… or not. Jeremiah challenges us to let go of the pride we take in ownership of power and property. Paul strikes even closer to home, inviting us to let go of our old ways of doing things, old hurts and the old images we have of ourselves, so we can hitch our lives to a new life and new priorities which will serve us far better. The Psalmist reminds us all our false starts are forgiven, and that it is possible to start down the road of life again, no matter how many times we’ve turned back before. Solomon, typically, provides the practical reminder that we can never be sure of our present until we have made some plans for our future. This is not “worrying about tomorrow.” It is honestly evaluating what we can see of the road ahead and simply making sure we are as ready to travel down it as the Lord would have us be. 

Here is what I know: life has just gotten too complicated, and I usually make it worse by over thinking it. I need to disengage a bit, reclaim Jesus’ perspective on everything, and just move ahead as He directs without worrying so much about the details. Easier said than done, true enough. But if it’s never done, nothing will ever get any easier.