The 3 considerations of living life...or what do I need to pack for this adventure?

In her upcoming book, "Reflections," Jan Narvel makes the case that change is good. That the cycles of life help to refresh us and prepare us for what's to come. In times of rest we recover and in times of output we grow and expand.

Jan goes on to make the case for cleaning out clutter in order to move, saying, "I was raised by a packrat. You know the type.  For these folks who either lived through the Depression or experienced many years of poverty, anything and everything is saved, just in case it might just be needed later."

I'm fascinated by that statement, for another reason. I've been aware for sometime that I struggle to get rid of some of my clutter, which endlessly annoys my new bride. I've spent a great deal of my adult life struggling with finances. I've thought, "if you've got money, you can just run out and buy a replacement, or the next model up, etc. You don't have to worry that the things you are throwing away because you don't use them right now, you'll need again and never be able to replace."

It feels like, only the rich have the opportunity to reduce their worldly possessions. And yet we know that the rich collect all kinds of things--multiple houses, cars, memberships to clubs they don't have time to go to, and so on. Also, Jesus didn't collect things and he wasn't rich. So the truth must be that some folks collect junk and others do not. It's a lifestyle design question that may be routed in addictive thinking (like over eating).

I once heard Graham Cooke make the statement, (para) we are on an adventure, and I like to take luggage when I travel, maybe even leave a little room to bring things back. I wouldn't take baggage on a trip. That seems like it's all the other stuff that you don't really need you're just hanging onto. It's our job to leave our baggage behind. It's the enemies job to carry our bags along with us and keep trying to hand it back to us. We can just drop our baggage in Christ and walk away, but we must be firm in not picking them back up again.

The two factors at play when deciding what to keep and what to ditch are God's heart for us and the free will of others. I can sum it up as the best case scenario and the worst case scenario. What do I need to pack with me? What you need to take on life's adventure depends on what adventure you're on. I have a big imagination and I can conceive of many terrible or great things I might encounter. I tend to pack heavy and not all of it's pessimism. I hope for the best and plan for the worst.

The third consideration is God's vision for my life. God accomplishes his goals despite the free will of those around me (or my own). If I'm surrendered to God and I believe in the vision He and I share for my life then I can safely pack according to the adventure I believe I'm on. In fact, usually the over packing results from my fears of what could go wrong.

Now, my first trip to AK as a teen I over-packed by a lot, and it turned out that I had things others forgot. I gave away everything from a sweater to bug spray. I even had the only can opener for the first half of the trip and we'd have not eaten for a couple days if not for my planning. Part of the life of a Christian is having a little capacity to share.

So the question at the heart of things you keep and things you chuck is the same one I ask about so many things in life: "Will this build intimacy with God?"

Am I keeping things that weigh me down because I don't trust God to provide? Am I packed and ready for the kind of adventure I believe God has planned for me? Do I really believe God will come through with the adventure I desire? Have I spent enough time developing a crystal clear vision of what I desire so that I know what I'll want along and what would get in the way? Have my years of poverty (physical, soul, or spiritual) scarred me in a way that makes me keep extra things out of fear?

In each new season of life I invite you to inventory your physical, emotional/intellectual, and spiritual items and prune away things. Decide what to keep and what to shed based on the adventure God has for you and this question, "would keeping this because it will bring me closer to God?"