I saw a flier at my gym recently for a class called “Fit For Travel.” It is for retired people planning to travel this summer who want to be in good shape to do so. It got me thinking about how I travel now, versus the way I would like to travel.
I am not talking about travel in the globe-hopping sense, but actually my journey with Jesus. I have always viewed life as a journey. Most of my life I have been actively trying to walk with Jesus. However, the way I do so has changed many times over the years.
There are so many ways we can travel with Jesus. I think a lot of people have the misconception that once we choose Jesus, everything is perfect after that, but that is not the way it works. We still have a lot of choices to make and that leads me back to how we travel.
We can walk with Jesus while still being burdened or scared. We can be carefree and trusting. We can be bitter and angry. We can be unforgiving, unkind, or unfair. The bottom line is that we get to choose what we take with us on this adventure.
The good news is that even though we have a choice, we also have a helper in the Holy Spirit. He is the ultimate travel advisor. I received an email the other day from an organizational blogger on tips for packing your suitcase like a pro. If we pray for help, we will eventually learn to only pack on what Jesus intends for us to carry and as He taught His disciples, those burdens are easy and light.
So my prayer is that even as we are preparing for vacation travel this summer, we will take a little time to think about how we are traveling in our day to day journeys. I hope we can continue to give things to Jesus that He never intended us to carry and that we would just become more and more “fit to travel.”
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” John 8:12