Anatomy of the Journey – My Pack

Greetings Dear Reader,

My Old Hillary Backpack

When I was much younger, mostly impractical, and very inexperienced my Dad and I attempted a camping/hiking trip in north Georgia.  I was a city kid who had been camping only during summers and only with large groups of other city kids.  I had a backpack and sleeping bag there were both very summer camp and not trail camping at all.  I had some World War II era cooking pots there were completely unsuited for hiking.

I was not prepared for the heat and vigor required by the journey.  Most of the food I packed was canned and heavy.  It was also not suitable for the energy required to endure such an endeavor.  In short the event was a miserable failure.  An hour into it I was exhausted and overheated.  Part of the problem was the weight I carried with me.

The journey to God is the same. I often carry things with me that I should not.  I worry about things I cannot control.  I try to control things I cannot hope to manage.  I put things into my pack that I do not truly need and that will only make the journeying more difficult.  Most of the unnecessary baggage is emotional or spiritual.  These things I pack also result in unnecessary physical baggage. 

Because I do not trust in Christ alone for my sufficiency I pack things into the journey that neither sustain nor satisfy.  I dine on unhealthy food.  I acquire distractions that do not heal or strengthen.  I carry pain and guilt that I should not.  I make poor choices about almost everything when I take my focus off of the purpose of the journey.  This results in lost time, poor side trails, and injury to my fellow travelers. 

I must choose only to carry the emotional, spiritual, and physical things that enhance my ability to walk the journey.  The path is long and perilous.  A way to properly find joy in the journey is to be very careful what I carry with me.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."