Five and a half years ago I walked the Pennine way. And when you’re walking 270 miles you need to carry stuff! This got me thinking about all the things we take with us through life.
Do you need it all? Or can you shed something? Are you weighed down? Or could you share your load with someone else?
Whatever life looks like for you there are ways to ease your burdens. There are things you can do even when life is at it’s toughest. Read on and find out…
Offload: Christ can take it
Before I started the Pennine Way my friend was enormously helpful. We turned out my rucksack together and went through everything with a fine toothcomb: “Do you really need that much toothpaste? And can’t you just use your spare T-shirt as a towel?”
So I did re the T-shirt. I was going to the middle of nowhere. So washing, who needs it!?
But it can be hard getting rid of unnecessary items. What would I do without my beloved camera? How could I rely only on my phone? Yet the benefits came when I didn’t get tangled up in camera straps during high winds, could easily pocket my phone when the rain came, and it was oh so much lighter.
If you talk to Jesus about your burdens – offload to Him – He’ll help you see what you can leave behind. Trust Him and you’ll find the right route:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Prov 3:5-6 (NIV)
Stay alert: Christ will advise along the way
Sometimes it’s only during the journey you realise there are things you can do without. At the start of the Pennine Way my bra started really hurting. Digging in and making my skin sore.
“Away with it!” I exclaimed to a startled grouse as I threw my undies across the moor. To be picked up immediately and disposed of properly, might I add. But chucking it away felt so good at the time.
And what a difference. No longer focusing on my shoulders I was free to marvel at the countryside. With no more rubbing skin I could leap with joy and frolic across fields.
Whenever you spot something new weighing you down, stop.
Think.
Can you lighten your load even more?
Jesus says:
“Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… you will find rest for your souls.” – Matt 11:28-29 (NIV)
Be wise: Christ has the answers if you listen
Sometimes the things you previously thought superfluous come into their own at the right time. So do try to be wise when deciding what burdens to lose.
On the second day of the Pennine Way I was stupid. When my heels began to feel slightly warm I ignored them and kept walking. Only when the pain got too much did I whisk out the Compeed and patch up some emerging blisters.
But it was too late.
You’d have thought with the amount of hiking I’ve done I’d have learned. Nope, numptiness strikes again! I was so glad of my trainers at that point.
It made me think, “What if I’d left them behind? What if I’d decided they were to heavy to carry? 240 more miles in rubbing boots, eeeeek!” It was only the advice of experienced long-distance walkers that had saved me.
If you’re in pain your body is trying to tell you something and you need to listen. In the same way Jesus will guide you to do what’s right when you listen to Him:
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” – John 10:27 (NIV)
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the Pennine Way. But only because I chose my burdens wisely. Others on the walk were totally weighed down and looked like they could barely move! Ever read Cheryl Strayed’s book Wild? There’s a reason she named her rucksack ‘monster.’
But we have the wisest person ever walking with us. So…
✔ Come to Christ:
- He’ll help you decide what to release before you walk another step
- He’ll show you what to keep hold of and what to throw
✔ But best of all:
- He’ll never let you walk alone (Matt 28:20)
God bless xx
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