Lighten Up

Posted byDustan Stanley on Oct 27, 2011 in God and Life | 3 comments

The time has come for Darlene and I to once again board a plane and head off on another grand adventure. I LOVE this part of our life. It’s where we toss all the heavy things and stuff ourselves into a backpack. With the post-production on The Revolutionary Life Season One nearly complete, and The Winter Letter nearly to the printers, it feels like years have been removed from my shoulders. Now it’s time to go.

This year I’ve gotten my bag as light as it has ever been. I’ve traded the normal stack of five books in for a Kindle. The Macbook Pro 17 and Macbook Pro 13 was traded in for a Macbook Air and iPad. Tapes (for video production) was traded for SD Cards, and the normal stack of rolled clothes are now stuffed into one Eagle Creek Packing Cube. The weight is much less; the bulk has shrunk amazingly – not to mention the extreme portability and convenience (ever tried to find a certain book in the middle of Kumasi, West Africa? I don’t think so). I’ve learned what kind of clothes are most useful and most compact and wrinkle the least when rolled. I’ve learned what toiletries are really needed on the road.

And, I’m gonna blog a bit about it. Many people are interested in how we mange to carry a portable studio and a year’s worth of if life into one 65l Backpack.

Today’s thought, however, it’s all about Bulk getting lighter. Tell me: When’s the last time you had a major lighten up party where you get rid of the clutter slowing you down? Is there too much junk in the closet? Do you have too much ‘life filler’ (useless activities, stuff, or obligations) to really live the life you feel God created you to live? Do you feel bogged down?

IF so, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate your packing list and figure out what you need.Maybe it’s time to find smarter ways to carry it all. Maybe you and I should consider what we will want to have carried with us to our dying bed? Will we want more toys on that day? Will we long for more long work hours (Slap yourself, Dustan)? Or Will we want to have lived life to the fullest, loving those God has given us, making a difference in those he has set before us? Is your bag too bulky and big to travel that road? What can you rearrange or toss or replace to make the journey better?

Just a few thoughts. Sometimes I feel like we carry too much stuff to follow Christ wherever he goes. I feel like we store up useless things that lock us into a life we can grow to despise.

Why do you think?