Simply Living Намуна

Not long ago, if you were packing for an overseas vacation, you’d make sure to bring some essential items: tickets, passport, money and a toothbrush. With these few items in hand, in theory at least, the world was considered your oyster. But now, for most of us, the checklist of must-have travel accessories has grown longer. It’s no surprise our suitcases and backpacks are getting bigger and heavier. It seems we find it increasingly difficult to travel lightly, literally or metaphorically.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money–not even an extra tunic.” Luke 9:3 

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness." – Charles Spurgeon

The way we travel reflects the way we live. Our lives are crowded with stuff. We are defined by our possessions. When Christ called the disciples, they didn’t have time to pack their things. They just dropped everything and went. They had to travel light. In that moment, they had to decide what was really important–what was really needed for their life’s journey.

The first Christians were called “followers of the way,” and today, we are still followers of the way of Christ. Our home is not fixed here, and neither is our destination. Realizing this might help us all to regard the trappings of modern life with a little more discernment.

Response: Think about whether you could borrow (or lend) something that you or a friend needs instead of buying it.