Preparing for the Journey

I am going on vacation!  I am heading to places that I have never been and going to meet people I have never met before.  I will walk roads that I have never trod, visit ancient history, see sunrises and sunsets and the grandeur of hills, mountains and trees.  I am so excited to go and looking forward to so many great things.  However, at the same time that I am filled with anticipation, I have to pause a moment.  Stepping out on this journey also means that I am leaving behind familiarity and family.  Life’s routine will be on hold, friends and family left behind, as well as the comforts of home.  So, I tucked away any fears of uncertainty and allowed the anticipation to take over and began the frenzy of getting ready.  After all, life is all about the grand adventure!

Usually, when I get ready for a trip (day, weekend, weeklong), I find myself throwing things frantically in a bag the morning I am trying to leave.  Sometimes I pack too much, and other times, I find that I have forgotten something.  I have learned that even if I forget something – well, there’s always VISA.  *grin*  But honestly, I really don’t travel to places where I cannot stop by a store and pick up a toothbrush.  In some ways, this trip is just a little bit different.  Granted, I am not traveling to a distant, undeveloped part of the world, but I did find myself thinking about what I would be taking.  I wanted to stay with a carry-on bag and only take the things that I knew I would need.

So, half the fun of a trip is planning it, right?  Well, I am so thankful to have a brother that planned this whole trip for us – thanks, John!  He did tell me, though, that he didn’t really have an agenda for the things to do and see at our different destinations.  So, I hopped on google and thats when it all started!  What did I want to see, do, explore, etc?  What would the weather be like?  How much walking would we be doing?  That was when I began to think about the clothes and shoes I needed to take with me.  I wanted to make sure that I had things to be comfortable, but not enough to weigh me down.  My google search slowly evolved into a search for what to pack. I found lots of good advice and even more lists.  I came upon one site (www.onebag.com) that explained why I should have a packing list.  First of all, a list is a contract to myself to only pack what is on the list.  It is a way to make sure that I didn’t forget anything important and that I didn’t pack unnecessary items.  The goal of creating a good list is to make one that can be used for a lifetime – a packing list for life’s journeys that is tangible, measurable – a list that is managed and improved – refined over time, not changed when the circumstances become different.  That is when I began to realize that making a packing list is not just about this trip to Italy, or a weekend trip away with the girls, or a trip with the kids.  I began to realize that this list is also about what I need to pack for my life’s journey as well.

I think that in the last week, I have packed, unpacked, and repacked my suitcase at least 4 or 5 times.  I have a running list on my desk of small, last minute things that need to go in the suitcase.  I thought often of what was being packed.  I didn’t want to pack with a minimalist attitude, (I found multiple blogs from people who travel the world with no suitcases, carrying only the things that fit in their pockets) but I also don’t want to cram in every possible “might need” item and have to sit on the suitcase to close it.

Do you pack at the last minute, or do you pack with much thought?  How much goes in your suitcase when you pack?  Is it neat or just thrown in? How many suitcases are you carrying?   As I continued to compare my packing for my physical journey to my packing for my life journey I though about how each day has limited time and space in it, just like my vacation and my suitcase.  I need to make sure that I pack in only the things I need to survive and thrive and not all the things that weigh me down and hold me back.

What exactly did I need?  I started with the travel books, a map and my GPS (have to get a little geocaching done!).  We need to know were we want to go, and a map helps us get there.  The travel books will guide us to things that we should do and see, but we have to not be afraid of stepping off the beaten path and exploring things around us.  On my life journey, my map, GPS, and travel books are all in one place – the bible.  God’s Word is my guide; He knows where my journey is going and where it will end.   Next, I packed my journal.  It may just be age, but sometimes I have what I think are profound thoughts that I will never forget….  and the next day, I remember I had a profound thought, but had forgotten what it was.  In the whirlwind of new experiences, it is easy to lose some of the little things if they aren’t written down.  I also write my prayers, hopes, aspirations, and fears.  Looking back at a life journal can not only show you where you have been, but how far you have traveled.  Of course, I have to pack my iPad.  I love technology!  I can carry so many things in that one little item that only a few years ago would have taken up so much space and weight.  I have books and movies, a few games and some music.  My bible (several versions), and my devotional are on there too.  One very important part of my ipad is that it will keep me connected with friends and family despite the time and distance I am from them.  I also can’t forget my camera.  Seeing the world around you through the lens of a camera shows it in a new perspective.  A camera can give you an intimate close up look at God’s creation.  I want to pack my pillow.  I love my pillow and whenever possible will take it on a trip with me.  Unfortunately, a king size feather pillow takes up too much room – but I have the faith that God will provide a soft place to lay my head each night, as well as taking care of me each day.

Jesus tell us in scripture what we need to pack on our life journey, and it doesn’t include an iPad, or a camera, or even a suitcase.  In Luke 9:23, He tells us, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”   But what does He mean by that? Well, He also gave us an example of what he meant by that!  After being baptized, Jesus embarked on a forty day journey into the wilderness, and he took nothing with him – at least, not a suitcase.  Paul also gave us an example of the cross that we carry.  We do not know from scripture the things Paul took with him that might have fit into a suitcase, but he took the same luggage that Jesus took to the wilderness.  It is the same luggage that I hope that I take with me each day of my life journey.  The most important thing thatw both Jesus and Paul took was their spiritual identity.  Jesus is God’s son.  Paul wrote that he was a “servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” Rom 1:1.  My spiritual identity is that I am a beloved child of God, forgiven and redeemed and called to love God above all else and to love my neighbor as myself.  Both Jesus and Paul carried the Word of God.  Three times when Jesus was tempted by Satan, he responded with scripture from Deuteronomy.  Paul unpacked scripture when he wrote his letters to the churches as he traveled.  I don’t have the bible memorized, I have difficulty quoting chapter and verse of scripture.  I sometimes find myself without the written word in my hand. However,  Moses reminds us in Deuteronomy 30:14 that “the word is near you, on your lips and in your heart”.  In the same way, I hope His Word is so deep within that I live it, not just carry it.

So, as you get ready, consider what you need to pack, go out and explore, and most of all, enjoy the Journey!

• ← Marching band
• Italy: Day One →