The greatest challenge for hikers and backpackers is not struggling up a steep mountain trail or fording a swollen stream. In fact, the most perplexing problem facing trekkers is not even physical.
The toughest thing we have to do on a day hike or a season on the Appalachian Trail is to decide what to leave behind.
Those in so-called “underdeveloped nations” do not have such problems, for they neither have nor miss the things that we in the West hold so dear. They often have only one set of clothes, so storage is not a problem, and neither is the added weight! But for us, it is difficult to leave anything behind. Our packs are far too heavy, sometimes twice as heavy as they should be, simply because we can’t do without our favorite foods, drinks, entertainment, and comforts. We want to take everything with us because we know we will miss our routines while “on the trail.”
It is comical to hear or read the stories of people taking rope, books, an axe, tools, extra clothes, “bombproof” shelters, and far too much food, just for a two or three day hike into the local national forest. Much of what the novice stuffs into that oversized pack will never be used or needed. Seasoned hikers will tell you that depending upon your penchant for adventure, light and ultralight packs now often weigh in at twelve to twenty pounds rather than forty or fifty. Those who know best leave the most behind.
There’s a spiritual lesson here. Often we carry far too much with us in our walk with Christ. For example, we could do without that load of guilt we carry because we aren’t convinced that our sins truly are forgiven. We could well leave out the burden of anger because we have not forgiven. Or the weight of that sin we just can’t seem to give up. Or the freight we bear when we try to control others’ lives. Or the accumulated cargo of disappointment of unmet expectations. Or that package of bitter regret.
All of these things, and more, weigh us down unnecessarily, and steal our joy for the journey. Experienced backpackers will tell you that the lighter the load, the more enjoyable the hike. And mature believers will tell you exactly the same thing. Jesus went to the Cross to free us from our sin, shame, anger, and their effects. They are useless burdens we can and should leave behind. “Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. . .” Hebrews 12:1
What’s in your backpack?