Global Talk

As we were packing for our faith adventure in Venezuela, our friends Evan and Michelle stopped by and really motivated us to “pack light”. They said again and again how they traveled for weeks in Europe with just a small backpack of belongings. And they had to say it repeatedly because we kept questioning them, because we wanted to be sure we had all possible contingencies covered. We were definitely doubters!

But they eventually convinced us that they never missed anything they left behind, and traveling was much easier with a light load. We were not an easy sell, but we truly packed light!

So I awoke the next morning thinking of how ‘un-light’ my current life is. Literally, my house and garage are full of things never used. I wanted to – and still want to – toss, toss, toss. I’ve become enslaved to my possessions, and I want to break free!

Similarly, we pack our lives full of activities that enslave us, that keep us from spontaneity and personal interaction. Think of the freedom we’d have, if our schedules were not full to the hilt, to respond to impulses and perhaps even to the Holy Spirit. “Let’s have somebody over!” “Let’s see if we can find someone who wants to go to the beach with us!” “I wonder if that person has enough to eat?” “She seems lonely – let’s invite her to lunch.”

Some of the best models of simple living I’ve run into are the young couples in the Grace Group that meets at our house – only half of them have televisions, they seem to be purposely striving for SMALL rather than LARGE living quarters, and they make time to get together outside of “official” gatherings like church and Bible studies. Of course, we’re talking pre-children here…but still, there’s a principle to be learned from these young wise ones:

Pack Light!