Created Feb 2, 2007
How much do we, as people, value our possessions?
How much do we really need?
At the start of my trip to Australia, I thought that I needed almost everything I owned. I valued these things and carried them with me. I agonized over their net worth and how I could keep them protected.
I was convinced that the belongings I carried, weighing almost as much as I did, would make my trip more enjoyable. I thought that myself and my laptop should never be parted. I thought that I needed clothes for all occasions, field gear for any potential job or adventure, and a reference book for any situation in which I would need to appear brilliant.
But all of these things can act like a weight around your neck and a burden to carry wherever you go. If I could not make it three blocks from the train station to the hostel, how can I travel the country alone, change my plans at will, stop where I please, and travel however I like?
So it is in our walk with God.
What are we carrying with us on our journey? How much is it worth to us? Will it stop us from easily following any calling? Is it coming between us and our journey?

Jesus’ instructions to his disciples were as follows:
“Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Wherever you enter, stay there until you leave that town.” Luke 9:3-4

It’s amazing how little we really need when God sends us on a journey. We should leave all of our baggage behind: our computers, our fancy clothes, our relationships, our career connections, and our worries. All we need to do is go, and trust that we will be provided for.