Once again I am packing and unpacking, a process that frequent travelers know well. With the new demands by airlines for lighter and smaller bags, we now must choose carefully what we will need for our destination. “What can I do without? What is absolutely essential to take? What makes sense to buy there, and what’s so expensive that I need to take it with me?” These are now standard questions for air travelers.

When we know where we’re going and what awaits us there, it’s much easier to answer these questions, of course. There are always unforeseen problems that could potentially arise, like sudden weather changes and shortages, but in most cases deciding what we’ll need is easier when we are going to familiar places, places we’ve been before.

Being a “safe rather than sorry” kind of personality, I always tend to pack more than I need on any excursion. After all, I think, what if I find it inconvenient to get my dirty clothes washed? And if I cut myself, how do I know I can easily find a drugstore? Traveling to Europe has been really challenging for me, because most of the countries we are traveling to I’ve never been to before. So I have no way of knowing what to expect. Another challenge is that the inter-European carriers like Ryan Air are even more restrictive about bag size and weight than a normal carrier.

All of these packing challenges have got me thinking … about my spiritual life. Do I complicate my life in Christ by insisting on carrying around more than I really need? Would He like me to learn how to travel lighter as I journey with Him, to be free from all the cares that more things and worldly concerns bring? Could I get by with less if I trusted Him more? Do I believe He can supply what I will need for my journey with Him?

In the book of Hebrews it says that believers in the past were commended for their faith in God. “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country” (Hebrews 11:8-9). Abraham really did live as an “alien and stranger” on earth. He had many rich promises from God, but his life was largely spent waiting on them to be fulfilled.

To those around him, Abraham was a misfit and a mystery. To many, he probably looked like a fool … serving a god he couldn’t see. For most of the Canaanites around him, life was all about trying to secure material wealth and physical prosperity through appeasing the many gods they believed controlled the weather, crop yield, fertility, etc. To be rich and successful was the extent of their goals and passions. But Abraham saw something of more value that he was moving towards… a “better country – a heavenly one” according to Hebrews 11:16. Yes, he enjoyed earthly blessings from God in all his material possessions, but they were a bonus, not the goal or the pursuit of his heart.

For followers of Jesus Christ, the pursuit of our hearts should be the same as His was while on earth: to walk in obedience to the Spirit and to fulfill the purposes of our heavenly Father. In order to accomplish these goals, we must have an Abraham kind of faith – a faith that believes God will be sufficient for everything we may face in life. We must be willing to set out on the basis of His word and His promises to a place we have never been before, content to take what comes, knowing that “he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

J.I. Packer writes in Knowing God, “You know what kind of life it is that Christ calls you, as His disciple, to live. You are called to go through this world as a pilgrim, a mere temporary resident, travelling light, and willing, as Christ directs, to do what the rich young ruler refused to do, give up material wealth and the security it provides. Having your treasure in heaven, you are not to budget for treasure on earth, nor for a high standard of living – you may well be required to forego both.”

When we live in exactly the same way that our worldly counterparts do, we miss out on the joys of traveling light. Because we are always busy meeting our own needs, we don’t experience the wonder and awe of seeing God come through for us in miraculous ways. We don’t get to experience for ourselves (as people like Abraham did) the fellowship of spiritual victory with God. Our faith remains small and ineffective for the challenges of life that inevitably come to all of us.

Packing light may seem risky when we set out, but we soon find out that many of the things we thought were “essential” for our well being in fact are not – we can travel much better without them. If comfort and success in this life are all we seek to attain, we’ll never discover what our inheritance in Christ really means. Our insistence on having everything with us as we journey with God will mean we travel slower, we go shorter distances, and we grow weary in the process far more quickly. We may finish the race, but our sluggish performance will not bring Him the glory He deserves.

Abraham’s faith also enabled him to stand strong in the face of ridicule and misunderstanding. He cared more about obeying God than impressing his neighbors. He was okay with being different because he was moving towards something far better than they could even conceive of. This earthly life, with its fleeting pleasures and fitful successes, is all they could ever hope for. But those who know God are heirs of promises that cannot fail and rewards that far outweigh any discomfort in this life. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Jesus urged His disciples to seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and trust that the other things needed in their lives would be supplied by their faithful Father. That takes faith in the One who said it. Only by faith can we find the resolve to alter our habits and reorder our priorities.

Can He supply? This was the question that the Israelites asked when traveling through the desert under Moses. And God answered by providing enough quail to make them sick. Their attitude angered Him because it cast doubt on His nature of love and His promise to supply their every need (see Numbers 11).

I want to learn how to travel lighter in the Spirit, relying on Him rather than my own effort or strength. In order to do that, I have to be willing to risk and let go of my desire to always “be safe rather than sorry.”

We are all on a journey called life that holds surprises and challenges we cannot plan for or anticipate. We can’t possibly know what we will need for what lies ahead. But we have a traveling companion who does know – He has successfully completed this journey ahead of us and His resources and experience are limitless. So why wouldn’t we trust in Him instead of ourselves?

Hebrews 12:1 advises us to lay aside every weight, every distraction and sin, that would keep us from focusing fully on the goal ahead, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the “author and finisher of our faith” (v. 2). If we focus on the journey itself, we’ll be overwhelmed. But if we keep our focus on Him, we’ll have the courage to persevere.

Is it time to reexamine your emotional suitcases? Are there some things you could do without, so you’re better able to follow Christ without restraint and distraction? If so, don’t delay … start paring down what you’ll be carrying and ask for His guidance as you repack your bags. We want to be able to react quickly to His call and to be able to handle with faith the hard bumps ahead. That means traveling light. Once you try it, I know you’ll be surprised by the unexpected benefits it brings … a more carefree heart and a “joy unspeakable” that’s “full of glory.”

For our closing song I’ve selected a hymn by Francis Havergal entitled “From Glory Unto Glory”. It was written in 1873 to celebrate the beginning of a new year. I’ve edited down the original 20 verses to a mere six… I hope it adequately conveys her joy in traveling with her heavenly King!

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From Glory Unto Glory

“From Glory unto Glory!” Our faith hath seen the King.
We own His matchless beauty, adoringly we sing;
But He hath more to show us! O thought of untold bliss!
And on we press rejoicing in blessèd hope to this:—

To marvelous outpourings of ‘treasures new and old,’
To largess of His bounty, paid in the King’s own gold,
To glorious expansion of mysteries of grace,
To radiant unveilings of brightness from His face.

“From Glory unto Glory!” What mighty blessings crown
The lives for which our Lord hath laid His own so freely down!
Omnipotence to keep us, omniscience, too, to guide,
Jehovah’s blessèd presence within us to abide!

“From Glory unto Glory!” Without a shade of care,
Because the Lord Who loves us will every burden bear;
Because we trust Him fully, and know that He will guide,
And know that He will keep us at His belovèd side.

“From Glory unto Glory!” Though tribulation fall,
It cannot touch our treasure, when Christ is All in All!
Whatever lies before us, there can be naught to fear,
For what are pain and sorrow when Jesus Christ is near?

Now onward, ever onward, “from strength to strength” we go,
While “grace for grace” abundant shall from His fullness flow,
To glory’s full fruition, from glory’s foretaste here,
Until His very presence crown happiest new year.