mother earth is a bitch and she will kill you

Dump All Your Crap in a Pile

Wilderness Journey

You have a backpacking trip planned with a group!  What will you pack?  Frisbee, hammock, camera tripod?  Remember that everything you choose must be personally carried by you.  Every ounce, that adds up to pounds, must be carried by your back and feet up the trail.  As you choose your items, ask yourself “Is this absolutely essential?” 

Exodus 16:16-18

“These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs.  Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.”  “When they measured it out, everyone had just enough.

…Each family had just what it needed.”

In the wilderness ministry I directed, we would send the members of an upcoming backpacking group a list of what to bring, that included what not to bring.  When the group arrived at the trailhead, we would ask each participant, one at a time with a few of my staff people, to dump everything they had brought for the trip into a pile on a tarp.  The size of the pile of each participant’s stuff would depend on their backpacking experience and their willingness to follow our advice on “the what to bring” list.  My staff and I would then go through each individual’s pile and sort out what they needed from what they did not need for the next several days on the trail.  Following are some of the items we would place in a separate pile to be stored back in their vehicles or sent back home:  deodorant, large tubes of toothpaste, six packs of soda, a change of clothes for every day, knife (on the “not to bring” list), bags of chips (impractical and we provide the food stored in bear resistant canisters), an axe, full size pillow, etc.  After separating what is needed from what is not needed, with some of the hikers being a little unhappy, we would show them how to pack their backpack, distributing the weight properly, ease of use and protection from rain.  Now this person and their personal items were ready for the journey that was ahead of them.  We saved them from expending extra energy in the days ahead and taught them that they could indeed survive as a human being without a cell phone, a microwave, soda, or potato chips. 

On a day hike or an overnight hike it’s important to carry the ten essentials for your safety and well-being.  Following is a list from “The Mountaineers” an outdoors educational group based in Seattle, Washington.

Ten Essential Systems

Navigation (map & compass)

Sun protection (sunglasses & sunscreen)

Insulation (extra clothing)

Illumination (headlamp/flashlight)

First-aid supplies
Fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candle)

Repair kit and tools

Nutrition (extra food)

Hydration (extra water or filtering device)

Emergency shelter (tent/plastic tube/garbage bag)

Life Journey

What for you is important in life?  What are the essentials for you in this life God has given you?  How short or long would your list be?  Would it include or exclude knowing God, financial wealth, or making sure each of your kids are involved in sports, music, art, and other improvement activities every day of the week? 

I have worked on a family ranch, been to graduate school, worked in fast food and in a factory, taught inner city public school, and worked for a couple of bosses from Hell.  I get it when there are days or weeks you are simply exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally.  At the end of the day, at the end of it all, what is important?  What are a couple of goals, principles, you desire in life for you and for those you love?

God wants to be and promises to be with you on your life journey.  I would ask you to symbolically dump everything you do in a week on a tarp.  What would God leave, take out, or add to your tarp to ensure you were carrying and focusing on only the life essentials?  A word of caution here.  Just as in backpacking you can carry the essentials, focus on what is actually needed for your journey, but that does not ensure a trouble free and completely enjoyable trip.  Stuff happens, that’s the world we live in.  Sadly, some people treat you like horse-poo and people we love die.  Sorry, no more existential or ethical philosophy than that.

Look at the long game.  The infant you hold in your arms.  What kind of moral, loving, and spiritually wise human being do you want your son or daughter to be in 18 years?  How would your co-workers, neighbors, and the barista at your coffee shop describe you as a person?  This week how have you bettered the life of another human being, a person God loves and Christ died for, through your creative talents, your skills as a professional, your hard work, or through a loving and caring spirit? 

If you make it on your journey long enough to qualify for senior discounts, what will you see behind you?  What do you desire for tomorrow morning, the next evening, and the future ahead of you?  Go ahead, gather your life and dump it before God.  Pray for God to speak and show you what’s important in your life to focus on.  Trust God and ask for help to toss aside the activities and behaviors and other extra weight that is pressing you down on the journey God has for you. 

Understand as well, that just as in backpacking, there are different types of environments and different seasons of life that requires you to focus more on one life essential than you would on others.

As on any journey you need and look for times of reflection and restoration.

               Take a step forward and may you seek and know God’s goodness on the path ahead.

Luke 10:41-42

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,

but few things are needed—or indeed only one.

Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”