“Do not carry anything you don’t need to take with you; it will only weigh you down” were the ominous words issuing out of the mouth of Clint a day before we embarked on our backpacking trip. “Believe me, if you think you need it, you probably don’t. Just pack what’s on the list.” He handed us a list of supplies for our week long backpacking trip that was basically a cup, a spoon, a knife, a sleeping bag, a small bar of soap, deodorant, a toothbrush, a small toothpaste, and one change of clothes. The tent and food would be divided up later. “Is this all?” I thought.
Of course, at home you find all kinds of things you need. You need a book to read when everything gets boring. You need more than one change of clothes for Pete’s sake. How are you expected to sleep well without a cushiony sleeping pad? And the list of “needed” items slowly grows to a small pickup full.
Now I will freely admit that when I go backpacking, I can be trusted to bring way too much stuff. “Do not carry anything you don’t need to take with you, it will only weigh you down” are not words that I heed well. I lugged my 50 pound backpack up the mountain, full of its books that were never opened, full of its camera equipment that would have sent a wedding photographer into heaven, and filled with clothes for every single day of the trip. But, at least I didn’t carry a wrench.
“What the heck did you bring that for?” Clint exclaimed as Tim pulled out his full sized open-ended adjustable wrench. “We’re 15 miles back in the wilderness. There are no roads above 10 thousand feet. We are not going to be helping any stranded motorists out here! What were you thinking?”
Tim, being a motor head, could not imagine a time in his life when he wouldn’t need an open-ended adjustable wrench. I do have to say that at no time during our entire trip in the wilderness did we find any trees, rocks, or furry marmots who required adjustment with our open-ended adjustable wrench.
“Do not carry anything you don’t need to take with you; it will only weigh you down.” That is the number one rule of backpacking. Some people will even go as far as drilling holes into the handles of their toothbrushes so that they are not carrying the unneeded weight. The plus that you get with doing that, is that everything you own is hideous and full of holes. No one is going to steal it while you are off hiking to a distant and hard to reach lake. Taking anything extra is just a hindrance. It will burden you. It will give you a headache. It will unnecessarily give you something to worry about.
Reflecting on this scripture I have come to the conclusion that Clint would have loved Jesus as a backpacking companion. “Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.” Jesus knows how to travel light; he chooses to carry nothing. And, he tells us to do the same. But, his advice does more than just ease the weight on our backs. If you were being sent out to do ministry on roads filled with bandits lurking in the shadows; carrying no purse, no bag, and no sandals just might save your life. I’ve know people jumped in the streets of the city for their nice sneakers; so this is pretty good advise. Things will weigh you down, and they will get in the way of your ministry.
This gets me to wondering: when a Christian does ministry to the poor and desires to share with them the idea that God releases us from bondage to stuff, how well do you think that will go over if we are weighed down by nice clothes and top of the line gadgets? “Do not carry anything you don’t need to take with you; it will only weigh you down.” These are words that cause me to stop and reconsider where my faith truly lies, because I have been know to carry around nice gadgets. I think that things often weigh me down. How freeing these words of Christ are. Be set free from your things. The more you have, the more you worry about loosing. Be set free from your stuff.
While lugging 50 pounds of useless equipment up sharp rocks on a steep trail, breathing too hard to talk to anyone else, with only yourself for company, you usually find that you are lugging around more than just stuff. When you have that much time alone, you have no choice but to deal with all of the people you are lugging around also. You know all of the people you have on your back; all of the people you said the wrong thing to or all of the people who said the wrong thing to you; all of the people who discounted you and made you feel worthless. They cling to your back and gnaw away at your soul while hanging there.
I think that’s why Jesus does offer us at least one thing to carry around while out
proclaiming the Kingdom of God. This thing is very light. It is God’s peace. “Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.” Notice how fascinating God’s peace is. Not only is it a gift that you can give anyone you encounter, but it is a gift that you can continue to carry even if you have been rejected or scorned. Just because the people you encounter on the trail don’t want peace, doesn’t mean you have to live your life without it. God’s peace is powerful, if they don’t want it, take it back and keep it safe for someone who does. We don’t need to be carrying these unloving, uncaring morons on our backs; we really don’t! If someone tries to dirty up your spirit by unloading their own dirt on you, shake their dirt off of your feet! Don’t carry it around. It is way too heavy. It is “their” dirt after-all, you don’t need it. Shake those people off your back and enjoy the peace that passes all understanding.
“Do not carry anything you don’t need to take with you; it will only weigh you down,” this is a gift of grace for all disciples of Christ. God needs you to help proclaim release to those who are captive to their own messed up selves or who are held captive to an abuser. God needs you to help heal those who are hurting and feel hopeless. God needs you to show love to those who feel unloved. Take the gift of God’s peace and allow everything to drop from your back. God is going to have a hard time using you when you are weighed down. Carry nothing and God will use you for the kingdom.
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