Traveling Light for the Faith Journey

Our family went on a vacation to Hot Springs, Arkansas last weekend. Being amongst the trees and the trails was quiet and restorative. It was inspiring to me to finally be walking between the pines and truly seeing that imagery that I’ve written about for my Substack for over a year. 

Something other than experiencing the beauty of this trip and feeling inspired by the nature around me was that I realized how much of an over-packer I am. Now, this isn’t necessarily new information. I’ve always known that I have a tendency to over-pack. I like to be fully prepared for any scenario, which usually turns into me carrying way too many things around. But when it comes to travel and hiking, bringing way too many things with us weighs us down. And in our faith journey, it hinders us in our spiritual growth and holds us back.

Traveling Weighed Down

Maybe you’re like me and have never been a light packer in hiking, traveling, or regular life. You carry around things that you don’t really need but that you’re too scared to go without. Maybe you over-prepare because you think it will help you in the long run. And you sometimes bring along things that you think will serve you well but only turn out to be a hindrance.

Doesn’t this sound like our faith journey? We carry around our worries, anxieties, hidden sin, past wounds, and unforgiveness like they are necessary for the hike. We attempt to prepare for what’s coming but then end up feeling confused and stuck. Perhaps you’re like me and carry things around that you think will help you but only feed your need for control of the situation or season you’re in.

When we’re honest with ourselves, we can see that carrying around these things only weighs us down and makes our journey more difficult. They fester into wounds that continue to impact our spiritual health, and they cause us to struggle to face challenges that come our way. The things we carry impacts our spiritual growth and our agility when facing obstacles.

Because of Jesus Christ, you do not need to carry the baggage of your life around with you any longer. You can leave it behind by placing it where it belongs: at the feet of Jesus. Life feels lighter without the extra baggage–trust me!

Learning to Travel Light

As I said previously, I’ve always been an over-packer in my life. I not only pack too much for trips, but I’ve lived with spiritual and emotional baggage for way too long. I allowed old trauma and unhealed wounds to speak lies into my life, seeping poison into my heart that I carried around. My hidden sin tore away at me piece by piece. I was overcome by shame. I lived with unforgiveness for years, and it impacted my relationships and my peace. But once I finally surrendered, confessed, and gave it all over to God, I instantly felt lighter and more alive.

It is possible to travel light as we venture on our faith journey. When we only carry the things we need and rid ourselves of all that hinders us, we will experience more of God’s presence than ever before. We will know peace and open ourselves to deeper spiritual growth.

Here are four simple, yet deeply intentional ways we can learn to travel light:

Practice Forgiveness

I’ve learned that we cannot have peace if we do not forgive. I carried unforgiveness around with me for years, but it never served me well. It only led to bitterness and an aching heaviness that weighed upon my heart. We have to forgive those who have hurt us if we want to move forward in our journey. 

We not only have to forgive others, but we have to forgive ourselves for our mistakes and shortcomings. Perfection is an ideal that is unattainable and brings heavy weight to our pack that is impossible to carry. Forgive yourself and give yourself grace so you can move ahead much lighter.

Release Shame, Worry, and Past Wounds to God

Some of the heaviest baggage I lugged around my life was shame over past decisions I made and ways I hurt others (mostly unintentionally). I felt shame over my past and who I used to be. In addition to shame, I carried around worry over my circumstances and what people thought of me. I also had past wounds and trauma that I carried around as a shield around my heart. But they weren’t a shield; they were a weapon that the enemy used against me. They weighed me down and caused me to stumble.

We have to release these broken parts of ourselves and allow God to heal them before we can ever make real progress in our faith journey. Pray that God would remove these from your life. Pray that He would reveal wounds that you continue to carry and shame that has crept in. Surrender them to God and see how light your pack becomes.

Confess and Repent of Hidden Sin

I not only carried around shame, worry, and past wounds, I carried around hidden sin patterns known to no one but me. They were things that I couldn’t overcome and temptations that I fell into repeatedly. I recognized that I needed to rid myself of them if I ever wanted to grow and experience real peace in my life. I believe that a lot of the shame I felt was from these sinful patterns that I couldn’t find escape from.

This isn’t an easy process by any means, but we have to recognize the sin that is well hidden in our lives, confess it to God, and repent. Pray that God would help you to recognize any hidden sin that you have and that he would convict you to hand it over to him completely. 

Only Carry What You Need For This Season

Once we have rid ourselves of the baggage that hinders us, we can fill our pack with the things that matter for this season and this specific set of circumstances. When my husband and I went backpacking a few months ago, we obviously had to carry more than we usually would. We had all of our camping supplies in addition to our regular hiking gear. My backpack was heavy, y’all! 

Similarly, some seasons require us to carry more than others. Seasons that are full of growth, contentment, ordinariness, and harvest may not require us to carry as much with us. On the other hand, seasons that are marked by transition, waiting, grief, or constant struggles require some heavy lifting. But when we fill our packs with good things like discernment, wisdom, spiritual practices, a perspective shift, or Scripture, our packs always feel light.