Packing Light

I am not very good at packing.

Or rather, I am far too good at packing.  I pack for every eventuality and weather condition.  I pack wellies alongside my swimsuit; suncream and sunglasses alongside my umbrella. 

I am prepared for anything.

Except I am always over-prepared.  I never need everything that I have packed and I end up lugging all of that excess weight around with me. 

And it is tiring.

I am going away tomorrow and have challenged myself to 'pack lightly'.  I have managed this once before (very successfully I might add), but it makes me feel really uncomfortable.  I don't like the feeling of being 'unprepared' or 'underprepared' for things.

I do the same in life sometimes as well.  I try to prepare myself for every eventuality or outcome.  I plan for different situations and 'carry' them around with me 'just in case'.

And that is tiring too.

Jesus knew our tendency to 'overpack' in life and to carry too much around with us - especially those things that we were never meant to carry.  He urged us to lay down our heavy bags and take up His light load instead:

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” 
[Matthew 11:28-29 NLT]

When we pick up the load that Jesus gives us, we find that it is manageable and easy to bear.  We don't have to lug around our past mistakes or our failed dreams; we don't have to bear grudges or the sins of others; we don't have to carry our guilt or our shame; we don't have to carry the thoughts of who we 'ought' to be or who we thought we could be.

We don't have to carry more than we need to.

We can give all of those things to Jesus and take His 'yoke' which is easy to bear - a yoke of grace and forgiveness and love and acceptance.

Let's accept Jesus' 'yoke' and learn to pack light.