Get out of your country, from your family to a land that I will show you… So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him.

Genesis 12:1-4

Traveling requires great preparation.  However, preparation will not detain us from encountering a few obstacles along the way.

I’ve had my share of humiliating moments at the airport where God had to miraculously intervene for me.  But there are two that serve as valuable lessons and reminders to travel light wherever He chooses to take me.

My first missions trip overseas was to Florence, Italy during the summer of 2006 for six weeks.  It was my first time traveling on my own and I packed my bags thinking I would take with me everything I needed.  As I was checking in for my flight, the airline rep at the booth informed me that I would have to pay a fee because my luggage was over the weight limit.  I refused to pay this unjust fee and decided to get over the shame of exposing some intimate belongings as I opened my suitcase to remove some items and try to fit them into my carry-on.  I proudly handed my luggage back to be quickly admonished because it was still over the limit.  The people behind me were growing impatient as they watched me try it again with no success.  By now, it became evident that I must have over-packed and I had to make the painful decision to throw some items away.

 Perhaps, the weight in my soul is over exceeding the limit and has been delaying me from arriving to my upcoming destination. Just as the airline policy, carrying all that weight has a cost to my life journey and also serves as a disruption to those whom I witness.

I must have not learned my lesson too well because in 2009, I purchased a larger suitcase in order to comfortably fit my stuff in it.  This time, however, I was only going for ten days to England.  I didn’t have an issue with the weight of the luggage itself, but I was detained in a foreign country with an expired passport.

Thankfully, I was allowed to leave the airport under the condition of solving the issue with my Embassy or having my parents mail me my most current passport.  This time around, I had delayed my team because they chose to wait for me.  As soon as we left the airport, we had to run to catch our train… with my big and bulky suitcase.  That was only day one.  I left England with very sore ankles from all the walking we had to do with our luggage.

The Lord’s calling may be evident, but carrying too much and unnecessary stuff can be detrimental to our progress in our own life journey.  Abram delayed God’s promise because he took Lot with him.  Lot came with A LOT of issues, which could have been easily avoided if Abram had obeyed every word of God’s original command.

We often choose to travel with our own “Lot,” with a heavy heart.

The weight of unforgiveness is too hefty to keep carrying around everywhere the Lord is trying to take us next.

It doesn’t matter where, or what book and from whom we can obtain advice, but we are constantly told time heals our wounds.  Slowly they become scars, and those scars seem to remain in order to remind us of the battle in this lifelong war.  Impatiently, we wonder how?  How can we heal faster?  We just want to feel normalcy again because we are tired of feeling hurt and offended.  This hurt only desires to hurt those who have caused this monster inside of us while being stuck in our on going despondency.  Logic instructs us to return the favor and to hurt them back.  But, “hurt people hurt people,” we can’t continue this sick cycle; it’s true what Gandhi once said, “eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.” 

Or we can go a step further, “If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also.” (Luke 6:29)

Like good students, we may follow all the steps of grief and forgiveness; however, we may fall on the trap of pretense because we rather act like we’ve let go, when in reality we are still holding on to the offense.  The sting doesn’t go away and these wicked thoughts of vengeance still rummage through our souls.

Paying for that extra fee every time we travel has turned into an unwarranted luxury.  No one needs to know we pay a higher cost.  We just do it to get to our next destination without having to expose our baggage and delay the checking in process for ourselves and those behind us.

Wisdom calls aloud outside; she raised her voice in the open squares… She speaks her words:  How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

Proverbs 1:20-22

Then if our doings don’t lead us to finding internal peace, then what will?

If we pay close attention, there’s a voice within us which initiates speaking with a tranquil whisper, but may turn into a loud and obnoxious warning if we continue to ignore it, “YOU’VE BEEN ASKING FOR THE WRONG ANTIDOTE!!,” she screams.

When we travel, we may have packed a sedative to calm our anxiety.  A sedative may be a temporary solution to relieve us from our nerves and our pain, but God wants us to seek something a lot more permanent to cure our wounds.  Instead of numbing our pain, we should be praying for a more long-term solution, for wisdom to enter our hearts (Proverbs 2:10).

In my next blog post, I will breakdown how the Book of James (ch. 1: v.2-11) teaches us the following five lessons about wisdom, which will help us pack light for our next adventure and avoid the humiliation at the airport:

1) Wisdom takes time

2) Wisdom is freely given

3) Wisdom requires faith

4) Wisdom works with humility

5) Wisdom isn’t reliant upon worldly success.

(To be continued…)

Light and Heavy (from “Where The Light Shines Through”

By Switchfoot

I’m on a roll
I’m feeling Icarus
I might have flown too high
I’m not alone
I’m feeling Icarus
I might have flown too high

Adrianna, I hope you found what you were looking for, looking for

Pick up the phone
Please tell me anything
You might have flown too high
My bird has flown
Please tell me anything
You might have flown too high

Adrianna, I hope you found what you were looking for, looking for

On my pilgrimage, I’m traveling light with the heavy heart
On my pilgrimage, I’m traveling light and heavy, light and heavy, light and heavy

This is your torch to carry
More than just a cross to bury down
None of us are ordinary
A beating heart is light and heavy