Travel Light

When you hear the words “travel light” what comes to mind?

Recently I was sent a wonderful teaching on “The Key to Walking by the Spirit”.  In it were many amazing gems but one that resonated with me is this key, Travel Light.  

There are several ways to travel light. Physically, emotionally and mentally to name a few. I want to take some time to look at traveling light physically and mentally with the greater focus on the mental.

Recently I took my entire closet of clothes, all of my drawers, shoes and even my jewelry and donated every single thing. All of it! It was something I had thought about doing for quite a while but what finally tugged at me to pull the trigger was that morning as I was about to get dressed.

Standing there perusing my aisles of options, I found my thoughts drift to different memories of the past. I then pulled out a shirt and I immediately transformed to another time in life. It was a past memory that did not benefit or edify me. In that moment of being aware of my thoughts and the effect of a simple piece of cotton, I chose to empty my closet.

For one reason and one reason alone, this purge began – I want to travel light!  I realized that the items I was holding onto were holding on to me and that was not where I wanted to be.

Now, I’m not suggesting you go give all you have away or your not walking by the spirit! Not at all. This is my story and what I did in my life and I’m simply sharing it with you. Remember this one point, you and only you are responsible for your peace.  

For me, starting fresh in this category was not for a physical travel light, it was much greater than that. It was for a mental lighter load. Peace in my heart and head was my goal! I have since added items of clothing & shoes to my closet and drawers.

I’m not streaking around here like a flasher! I even have new underwear, TMI?  

Anyway, what it did for me to release all of those items was to release mental baggage I had been carrying around!

There is a movie I enjoy called “The Last Samurai”.  In the movie the American character is being trained with a wooden sword by a Samurai master. For quite a while He is getting his butt kicked. After one of his many falls another Samurai pulls him up and speaks to his soul with great intent –

“Too many minds!”

The character looks at him bewildered by his statement. He then explains – 

“You mind the people watching, you mind the last defeat, you mind your own self. Too many minds!”

I related to this because often times in life I can have “too many minds” running in my head that keep me from thriving, growing and learning what beautiful life giving things are right in front of me. Too many minds is not traveling light and too many minds over powers the still small voice.

 

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZZdRy_GGwk[/embedyt]

 

A great illustration of this truth can be found in the book of John.

John 8:3-10

“Then in the middle of his teaching, the religious scholars and the Pharisees broke through the crowd and brought a woman who had been caught in the act of committing adultery and made her stand in the middle of everyone.

Then they said to Jesus, “Teacher, we caught this woman in the very act of adultery. Doesn’t Moses’ law command us to stone to death a woman like this? Tell us, what do you say we should do with her?”

They were only testing Jesus because they hoped to trap him with his own words and accuse him of breaking the laws of Moses. But Jesus didn’t answer them. Instead he simply bent down and wrote in the dust with his finger.

Angry, they kept insisting that he answer their question, so Jesus stood up and looked at them and said, “Let’s have the man who has never had a sinful desire throw the first stone at her.”

And then he bent over again and wrote some more words in the dust. Upon hearing that, her accusers slowly left the crowd one at a time, beginning with the oldest to the youngest, with a convicted conscience.”

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In this situation, Jesus has many “minds” coming at him. He could mind the men, mind the religious tradition, mind the woman, mind the culture. Instead, he bent down, wrote on the ground, found peace in chaos, searched inside and heard the answer that was the answer of peace. 

If he had allowed all that was around him to get into him he would not have been light and able to search for the answer. Instead, he held the words at abeyance, held his peace inside and spoke fitly spoken word. Words that squelched the roaring fire of accusation, judgment and entrapment. 

That my friends is a mind that is light.

One other example I want to look at is in Luke.

“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their journey, they came to a village where a woman welcomed Jesus into her home. Her name was Martha and she had a sister named Mary. Mary sat down attentively before the Master, absorbing every revelation he shared. But Martha became exasperated with finishing the numerous household chores in preparation for her guests, so she interrupted Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you think it’s unfair that my sister left me to do all the work by myself? You should tell her to get up and help me.” The Lord answered her, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.””‭‭Luke‬ ‭10:38-42‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Now, Martha and Mary are two different people. Both have their strengths and abilities. What happened here was not that one was more spiritual than the other, it was simply a case of “too many minds”. Martha had too many things going on in her thinking to the point she even questioned if the Lord even loved her….hey, wait a minute!

Have you ever been there? 

I have. I have seriously been so overcome by my own thoughts and emotions that I just got mad and thought “Well, do you even care God?”

I have never stayed in such a ridiculous place, but I have allowed my mind to bog down like that before.  

The simplest answer for Martha is this, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it.” She was all over the place. Worried about Mary’s business, worried about Jesus business. If chores were the need then go do the need with a focused thankful heart. If sitting with Jesus was the need then go do that with thankfulness and a grateful heart.

To travel light is to eliminate whatever distracts you from your peace. 

No thing, no person, no thought has the right or authority to determine your direction, peace or joy. Those things only get that power when you relinquish it to them.  

Colossians says the He can give a “peace that passes understanding”. A peace that goes right past situations, circumstances, or pressures. It passes through all of that and brings us up to a reality of peace.  

Traveling light means I know He cares for me so I call that peace to mind. I have a friend who asks, “What is taking up real estate in your mind.”  

Don’t allow unproductive, untrue, doubt filled thoughts to take up mental real estate.  

It’s your mind, you get to decide what resides there.

As I got dressed this morning on my athleisure wear, cause that is the only thing I currently own, I was filled with great joy. I am very thankful to be learning about lightening my load mentally and physically. It’s not an overnight one and done kind of thing but each time I lighten up I get a new breath of fresh air. It’s like when you swim underwater and finally get up to grab the air in your lungs. It’s refreshing and life giving!

Enjoy this journey of life.

See your beauty.

Lighten your heart.

Lift it all to Him and enjoy learning how to travel light better and better each day!