Traveling Light and Trusting God

Thirty-Eight Years, a Whole Lot of Stuff, and One Big Adventure!

Sometimes moving forward means letting go of what we've been carrying and trusting God with the road ahead.

And on that note, I have a confession. It might just be possible that we have ccumulated enough stuff over the last 38 years to furnish a small village! And now we're trying to figure out how much of it can fit into a camper!

After living in the same home for 38 years, we're finally making a move that I've wanted to make for a long time. It's hard to believe its actually happening! We're sorting, donating, selling, packing, and trying to decide what really needs to come with us.

You would think that after wanting something for so long, the actual move would feel like nothing but excitement. And there is plenty of that! But it's also a little overwhelming and, at times, almost impossible to comprehend.

This isn't just a house we've lived in. It's where we raised our children. It's where we celebrated birthdays, enjoyed holidays, and made countless family memories. Our grandchildren have never known us anywhere else. As far as they're concerned, this is Grandma and Grandpa's house!

We're planning to live in our camper for what will probably be many months while our new house is being built. I know several people who live full-time in RVs, but I never really pictured us doing that. Yet here we are, preparing to join the RV-living crowd, at least temporarily!

It's exciting. It's an adventure. It's also going to require some adjustments, particularly when it comes to deciding what qualifies as a necessity. Apparently, not everything we've been keeping for the last few decades makes the cut!

But the more I think about this whole process, the more I realize there's a spiritual lesson tucked into all these boxes. It has a lot to do with traveling light, trusting God, and being willing to move forward into a new season.

And as we’ve been learning, Jesus had something to say about traveling light long before campers and RVs came along!

Jesus Had Something to Say About Traveling Light

In Mark 6:7–13, Jesus sends His twelve disciples out two by two to preach repentance, cast out demons, and heal the sick.

But before they leave, He gives them some rather unusual packing instructions.

In Mark 6:8–9, Jesus tells them to take nothing for their journey except a staff. No bread, no

bag, no money in their belts, and no extra shirt. They were to wear sandals and travel with very little.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm not sure how well I'd do with those packing instructions!

I'm currently trying to figure out how to fit what we consider the essentials into a camper, and Jesus was telling His disciples to head out with practically nothing!

But His instructions weren't really about packing efficiently. He was teaching them something much more important: dependence on God.

The disciples were being sent out to do the work Jesus had given them. They weren't supposed to depend on having every possible provision tucked away in their bags. They needed to trust God to provide for their needs along the way.

They would have to accept hospitality, rely on others, and step out in faith without knowing exactly how everything would work out.

We can make plans, prepare for the future, and use the resources God has given us. There's nothing wrong with that. But our security ultimately doesn't come from what we own, how much we've saved, or how many things we can fit into our storage compartments.

Our security comes from God.

And perhaps that's one of the lessons I'm learning as we sort through 38 years of belongings. We can't take everything with us, and maybe we don't need to.

What Are We Carrying That We Don't Really Need?

There's something interesting about downsizing. Suddenly, things that once seemed important become much less important when you have to decide whether they're worth the space.

How many kitchen gadgets does one really need? How many sets of dishes? How many

clothes? And why do we have so many things tucked away that we haven't touched in years?

The phrase "I might need that someday" can get us into a lot of trouble!

But this has me thinking about the other things we carry through life.

What about the emotional and spiritual baggage?

We carry worries about tomorrow, fears about the unknown, disappointments from yesterday, expectations about how things should go, and sometimes even things God has been asking us to release.

Some of it may be good. Some of it may have served a purpose in an earlier season. But not everything is meant to go with us into the next one.

I'm not saying we need to get rid of everything we own or that possessions are somehow bad. I'm simply reminded that there is a difference between enjoying what God has provided and depending on those things for our security.

Traveling light isn't necessarily about having less. It's about making sure the things we carry aren't keeping us from moving forward. And that brings me to another part of this story.

Leaving the Familiar Doesn't Mean Leaving What Matters

One of the things I've been thinking about is how difficult it can be to leave something familiar, even when we're excited about what lies ahead.

In Mark 1:16–20, Jesus calls Simon and Andrew, and then James and John, to follow Him. They were fishermen. They had boats, nets, a livelihood, and a life they understood. But when Jesus called, they left their nets and followed Him.

Think about that for a minute. They were leaving what they knew to follow someone into something they couldn't fully understand yet.

Their nets weren't necessarily bad things. Fishing was their occupation. It was how they made a living. But Jesus was calling them to something different, and they had to be willing to leave the familiar behind.

I think there's an important distinction here. Leaving something behind doesn't mean it wasn't valuable. It simply means it isn't where we're supposed to stay.

We're certainly not leaving our home because it wasn't good to us. Quite the opposite! We've had 38 years of life, laughter, family, and memories here. But we don't want to become so attached to what has been that we miss what lies ahead. We can appreciate where we've been without allowing it to keep us from where we're going.

Sometimes we do that in other areas of life, too. We hold onto old routines, comfortable circumstances, past disappointments, or even the way things used to be. We can become so focused on what we're leaving that we forget to look at what's ahead.

In Philippians 3:13–14, Paul talks about forgetting what is behind and pressing on toward what is ahead, toward the goal of the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul wasn't suggesting that we erase our memories or pretend the past never happened. He was encouraging believers not to let what was behind them keep them from pursuing what God had set before them.

There's a time to look back with gratitude, but there's also a time to turn around and start walking forward. And that's exactly what we're doing.

A New Season, a New Adventure, and a Whole Lot of Trusting God

I have to admit, the thought of living in a camper for several months is a little hard to wrap my head around. We've never done this before, and I'm sure there will be a learning curve.

There will probably be some adjustments to our routines, some creative storage solutions, and perhaps a few discussions about whose turn it is to move things around so we can get to something else!

But there's major excitement in it, too. We've wanted this change for a long time, and now we're getting to experience something entirely new. We don't know exactly how many months we'll be living in the camper, what every day will look like, or how smoothly everything will go.

But we don't have to know every detail to move forward.

Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

I love that reminder because trusting God doesn't mean we have to understand everything. It doesn't mean we won't feel overwhelmed, have questions, or occasionally wonder what in the world we've gotten ourselves into.

It means we can move forward without having all the answers.

Jesus also addresses worry in Matthew 6:25–34. He reminds us not to be consumed with anxiety about tomorrow because our heavenly Father knows what we need.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't plan or prepare. It means we shouldn't allow worry about what might happen tomorrow to steal the peace we can have today.

We're doing our part. We're making decisions, getting rid of things, planning, and preparing for this transition. But ultimately, we know we need to trust God with the things we can't control.

And isn't that true in just about every season of life?

We don't always know what the next chapter will look like. Sometimes the road takes a turn we weren't expecting. Sometimes we find ourselves in a waiting period. Sometimes God opens a door, and we have to decide whether we're willing to walk through it.

We can spend so much time trying to figure out the entire journey that we forget to take the next step.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

People often say, "Home is where the heart is." I think there's a lot of truth in that.

We've spent 38 years making a house our home, and it holds more memories than I could ever begin to count. But as we prepare to leave, I'm reminded that home isn't just a

building or an address.

It's the people we love, the memories we carry, and the relationships that continue no matter where we happen to live.

Our grandchildren may have to get used to a different address for Grandma and Grandpa. Christmas will look different this year. And our new home will eventually become the backdrop for another collection of memories.

But the God who has walked with us through all these years isn't going anywhere.

Psalm 90:1 says:

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations."

I love that verse in light of this season we're entering. God has been our dwelling place through every chapter, every change, and every season of life.

Our earthly homes may change, but our foundation doesn't have to.

And there's an even bigger reminder in Jesus' words in John 14:2–3. He tells His disciples that He is going to prepare a place for them. Our ultimate home isn't something we build, buy, or pack into a moving truck. It's the eternal home Jesus promises to those who belong to Him.

So, while we're looking forward to building a new house, we know that even that isn't our forever home.

We may be changing our address, but we're not changing our foundation.

We're Not Staying Stuck in the Past

There's one more thing I don't want to overlook.

Moving forward doesn't mean we don't appreciate the past. It means we're not allowing the past, or even the comfort of our present circumstances, to keep us stagnant.

Isaiah 43:18–19 contains God's message to His people:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

In its original context, God was speaking to Israel about His promise to make a way for them and bring restoration. He was reminding them that He wasn't finished working.

I love that picture of God doing something new.

We can be thankful for the home we've had, excited about the home we're building, and confident in the God who goes with us through both.

Maybe you're not packing up a house or preparing to live in a camper. Maybe your next season involves retirement, a career change, an empty nest, a new ministry, or simply a change in the way you've been living.

Whatever it looks like, don't let what is familiar keep you from growing.

God doesn't ask us to cling to every season we've experienced. We can learn from the past, appreciate the present, and still look forward with anticipation to what lies ahead.

Sometimes moving forward requires us to let go. And sometimes traveling light is exactly what we need to do.

What Are You Taking on Your Journey?

I'm trying to remember that this next chapter isn't really about what we're leaving behind.

It's about where we're going and learning to trust God along the way.

The house may change. The Christmas tree may have a different address. Our closets are going to get considerably smaller, and I suspect we'll become very familiar with every square inch of our camper. But we're excited!

We have a new season ahead of us, and we're ready to embrace the adventure. We don't know exactly how everything will unfold, but we know we don't have to figure it all out today.

Jesus sent His disciples out to travel light, trusting that God would provide for them. And while our journey looks a little different, the lesson still applies.

We can make our plans, do our part, and move forward without carrying the weight of trying to control everything.

Home is where the heart is. And when our hearts are anchored in Jesus, we can move forward with confidence, wherever the road takes us. After all, we're not leaving home behind. We're simply making room for what's next!

Points to Ponder

1. Are there things in your life you're holding onto simply because they're familiar, even though it may be time to move forward?

   
   

2. What unnecessary baggage might you be carrying? Are there worries, fears, expectations, or old hurts you need to release to God?

   
   

3. When you enter an unfamiliar season, do you tend to trust God or try to figure out and control every detail?

   
   

4. How can you appreciate the blessings and memories of the past without allowing them to keep you from embracing the future?

   
   

5. What would traveling lighter and trusting God more look like in your life right now?

   
   

Wherever your journey takes you, remember that you don't have to carry everything, and you don't have to travel alone. Keep your eyes on Jesus, trust Him with the road ahead, and don't be afraid to embrace a new season.

Learn more about our exciting out-of-the-box ministry here

Meet the author and Her Partner in Faith:

Tammy and Bruce have been married for 39 years, navigating life as best friends and partners in faith. Their days are a beautiful mix of service and creativity: Tammy serves her community as an active EMT when she isn't on the road, while Bruce, a retired Law Enforcement officer, is the visionary artist behind God’s Country Art.

Between the adrenaline of emergency medicine and the peace of the open road, Tammy is a lifelong writer currently editing her debut Christian Fantasy novel, Beyond the Mirror’s Edge (Hopefully, to be published soon!)

Together, they are devoted parents and grandparents who find God’s handiwork in everything—from a life-saving moment in the field to a quiet piece of hand-carved wood. Whether through fellowship with others online at Your Jesus Journey, or a campfire chat at a new campsite, they are committed to sharing the love of Christ one mile at a time.

You can see some of Bruce's handiwork at Godscountryart.com