Experienced travelers do not under pack. Expert travelers do not overpack. The simpler the mission, the smaller the bags. 

Our last vacation was a ski trip in the Rocky Mountains. Our next vacation is to a sunny island. Our bags will be less bulky on our next trip than they were on our last. 

A recent trip to Houston had me bunking at a hotel chain where I frequently stay. This particular lodge has an in-room coffeemaker that produces survival coffee. This is the kind of coffee you drink because you have to, not because you want to. The hotel breakfast does not begin until 6 AM. Early risers require coffee well before then.

Even though expectations were not grand to begin with, things quickly went downhill. The in-room coffeemaker had not been touched or dusted in a long time. The aforementioned dust was not merely an exterior experience. The insides of the simple machine were also dirty. This means coffee service was delayed for an uncomfortably long time. 

This uncomfortable delay turned into a crisis when the breakfast bar was wiped out by an early-rising crowd of eager competitors who ate everything worth eating. At least there were three urns of coffee. The Dark Roast urn was down to its last drop. Not good. The Medium Roast urn was missing. The Light Roast urn was not that hot, nor that good.

Since judging other people as part of a selection process was my duty for the day, this was a bad start for any candidates who got on my nerves. 

Upon returning from this trip, a travel Keurig was purchased. It was larger than expected. Let us come full circle and acknowledge how, even on trips to places not requiring bulky clothing, Yours Truly has discovered a new way to overpack. 

When Jesus sent out seventy disciples to prepare the way before him, he told them to travel light. This was not a time to settle in and put down roots. This was a time to announce the Kingdom of God and to connect with the responsive people they met. 

There is a good lesson here. Far too often, we think we have to know it all and be prepared for anything before we do anything regarding extending God’s Kingdom. Remember, wherever you go, whatever you do, you as a follower of Jesus, bear Kingdom witness in everything you do and say. How you live your life declares to others the reality of God’s Good News. 

How will this thought lead you to prepare differently each day? How will you seek God throughout the day? How will you assess yourself, and your witness, at the end of the day?

Caffeinate yourself appropriately. Live wisely. Declare the Good News in everything you communicate. Give others what you know without worrying about what you don’t know yet.

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I will travel light and share the light of God’s Good News.

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Our Father, thank you that we do not have to be Know-It-Alls to carry your great Good News. We bear it in how we speak and how we conduct ourselves. Empower us to travel light and bright today. Amen.