Adding Weight to the Pack

This past weekend I went hiking and camping in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest with my wife. I love the fall and it is probably my favorite season. I enjoy stepping out on the porch in the morning with my coffee and feeling a little chill in the air.  Just seeing the leaves change colors and start falling is something I look forward to every year. It reminds me of how awesome our God is that He made such an intricate creation that is so amazing and beautiful.

I have pretty good organization skills and had been preparing for this trip for a few weeks. I did some internet research about the forest and got a good trail book from a buddy of mine. I read through the book to see what would be the best route to take to the top of the mountain where we would camp. I looked at all the variables like; was there water on our hike up? What was the elevation gain? I calculated the time of the hike so we could get to camp before nightfall? In my mind I was prepared and ready to go. We arrived at the trail head right on time and headed out with our full and very heavy packs. Not sure what all I put in my pack, but for 1 night of camping it must have been like 50lbs, literally. I think I must have had like 3 flashlights, 2 knives and every conceivable item that I “might” need…just in case. It’s funny how sometimes that is how we are with God and our journey here on earth. We try to think of everything and over compensate for all the things that “might” go wrong instead of putting our trust in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says that we are to “live by faith, not sight” and 1 Corinthians 2:5 says “so that your faith may not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”   So we continued down the trail and soon noticed that the trail got very narrow, it was just wide enough for our feet, one in front of the other.  In addition to tight rope of a trail, we were navigating over rocks and slippery leaves.  My wife slipped and fell over some rocks and she got up and said “man, everything changes when you add a little weight.”

All the extra things we brought were weighting us down, so much that it threw off our balance, taxed our legs, and messed with our coordination.  I can’t help but think of the loads we carrying that we don’t have to.  Psalm 55:22 says to “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.” In Matthew 11:30, Jesus says “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  On a daily basis, I have to trust in my Savior for all my needs, release the control reigns, and drop any load I might be unnecessarily carrying.

Timothy