My husband and I recently had a few days away in Bordeaux. We were staying on, the edge of the centre of the city, and travelled there by train. This required us to travel “light” with one small suitcase each.
One of the things we enjoy doing when we visit a new place, is to walk from one place to another soaking up the views, the sight of people going about their daily lives, and to find those less well known or quirky places of interest.
Over the three days we were there we must have walked for miles, (one day my watch told me we had walked over 25000 steps), and by the time we came to catch the train back home, we were very footsore and somewhat weary.
The writer in Hebrews tells us to “throw off those things that hinder us” and to “run with perseverance the race set before us.”
If we had taken large suitcases, or multiple baggage, our journey would have been much more difficult. (It involved car, 3 train and 2 tube/metro journeys from door to door). We only took enough clothes for the trip; excess baggage was left behind. (There was space for one bottle of wine on the return journey!)
God knows what our needs are, he provides all our essentials. We so often cling on to things “just in case,” or for sentimental reasons. God wants us to travel light on our faith journey, letting go of those things that hold us back.
And that journey may be hard work, we may get footsore and weary, but the things we see along the way, and the people we encounter will help us to persevere on our faith journey and endure those hard times.
Prayer: Gracious God, your Son endured the pain of the cross, help us to endure the weariness and tough times as we travel on our faith journey, knowing that the views will be worth the effort. Show us those things that hold us back and give us the courage to put our trust fully in you who provides all we need for the journey. AMEN