Today was a BIG day.
Today… I purchased my pack! (Thanks Grandpa!)
I am so excited that I promptly skyped with my parents so I could show it off and I've been wearing it around the house since I got home! (What? No I haven't, I'm totally not that nerdy – forget I said that.) In all seriousness, there is something about wearing the actual pack that will serve as my closet, carry my home and bed and be lugged all over the world with me that makes this whole adventure just a little more real.
And as I was contemplating that reality this evening while admiring my brand new pack in the mirror I started to make a mental list of all the items I'll be loading it up with.
Wait, where will it all fit?
Don't get me wrong, this is a big pack. It's 65 liters -it holds a lot of stuff. But we're talking 11 months here! Everything I own, use and need will be carried in that pack for 11 months. Can I really do that?
One of the things that appealed to me about World Race was the call to abandon worldly possessions. Last year's "Operation: No More Stuff" launched a lifetime of reframing my mindset to make "things" the lowest priority in my life. It has gone well and I've learned so much. But this… this is different.
Yesterday I started working on setting aside things I'll be selling/getting rid of before the race. I've been looking forward to that part of this journey. But suddenly I feel this urge and connection to material items that I've never had before. It's strong. It's fear. It's disgusting.
So here are just a few of the promises from God's Word that I'm clinging to:
- God will meet all of my needs. (Phil. 4:19)
- It is the Lord who fills me, not things. (Rev. 21:6)
- The things of this world will deteriorate, but the treasures of the Kingdom will not. (Matt. 6:19-21)
I'll admit, I am far too easily pleased with the physical things of this world. But I don't want to be the rich man who couldn't give up junk for true life! So, here's to giving it up, to growing, and to fitting my life into 65 liters!
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose"
– Jim Elliot
