How many times have you moved in your lifetime? It always amazes me to learn that some people live in the same house their entire lives, perhaps never even travelling more than five or ten miles from the place that they were born. Nevertheless, I imagine that most of us have moved several times over the years. I have moved at least 20 times and have travelled and lived halfway around the world as well.

Despite the many moves that I’ve made, the last move stuck for a long time. I lived in my last house for 40 years, the last five as a widow on my own. Several months ago, my daughter’s family and I began looking ahead and determined that it would be wise for me to move 20 miles across town in order to be closer to them. So, when a place in a condo community just a mile from their house opened up, we took it as God’s leading.

Then the work began. We realized that my belongings would have to be downsized by about half. I don’t consider myself to be a hoarder by any means, but 40 years in the same house had allowed me to accumulate many things that I would now have to part with. This process took time, thought, and energy, but eventually, the move was successfully made.

I learned a lot about myself and life during this arduous process. I learned that everything that I may consider to be valuable and indispensable is not. In fact, my new adage is “You can save anything that you want to, but you really can’t keep all of it forever.” To finish my life’s journey well, I have had to discard many possessions that I once considered to be irreplaceable.

There is a parallel here to our Christian life as well. The apostle Paul describes the Christian life as a race to be run. In order to successfully reach our goal, Paul tells us:

“I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NLT)

“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1b NLT)

This process of parting with precious items from our past can be painful, but in both everyday life and in our walk with the Lord, it is necessary not to become weighed down with excess baggage. Whether it be sin or simply bad habits or other elements of daily life that should be discarded, we must rid ourselves of things that will hinder us in our service to our Master.

Prayer: Dear Father, please give us wisdom in separating important things in our walk with You from sinful practices and even just things that weigh us down. May our daily life be clean and simple as we focus on what is truly important. Amen.

Gail Lundquist
Beaverton, Oregon, USA

Reprinted from PresbyCan with author’s permission