“ What your hanging onto might be crowding out God”

I was convinced I could fit everything I needed in a carry-on backpack for a three-week trip to Scotland. People have asked me how I did that. There isn’t really a secret; I could only take what would fit.

The backpack was limited. I knew I couldn’t fit everything I wanted to take, so the question was, “What should I leave behind?”

I watched a few YouTube videos about packing and read articles on how to pack lightly. I even bought some containers to help me fit more into the backpack.

All of that was helpful, but no matter how good it was, the limiting factor was always the backpack. There was only so much room.

Packing Light

Being limited in space meant I had to choose what would fit in the backpack and what I would need to leave behind. I left a lot behind.

Ultimately, I had to decide what was essential, what was good to take, and what could be left behind. These were not easy decisions. I wanted to fit it all in, but that was impossible. I learned a lot about packing.

I learned that I tend to overpack. My normal philosophy is, “It is better not to need something and have it than not to have it and need it.” That philosophy would not work on this trip.

Suitcases and backpacks are not the only places we try to fit it all in. We also tend to overpack our schedules.

Living Light

Like my backpack, our days are limited. We have 24 hours to fit everything in. If you’re like me, fitting everything I need to do for work, family, hobbies, entertainment, etc., is like packing for a three-week trip in a carry-on.

There are expert packers who will give tips on how to fit more into your suitcase and productivity experts who will give tips on how to fit more into your day.

Maybe the best question should be, should I? Should I pack more into my day? Should I fill my schedule so full that I have no time to breathe? If I don’t have any time to breathe, then I certainly don’t have any time for God.

Our fear of missing out (FOMO), believing our life will be less somehow if we say “no” to something, causes us to continue adding more and more to our schedule. The result is we are tired, burned out, and stressed.

How often have you neglected time for God because you were too busy?

What if what you are hanging onto crowds out God?

Living in Light

We crowd out God when we continue to fill our schedules and don’t create a margin or space for Him. To say yes to God, we must say no to other things.

Just like packing for a trip, we’re going to have to leave some things behind. We may not want to, but at some point, we need to determine what is vital and what isn’t.

Maybe there’s a TV program that can be skipped, or maybe we forgo the news program in the morning. Perhaps we say no to that extra 15 minutes of sleep, or maybe we figure out a way to structure our day so that we create a margin for God.

Ultimately, we don’t want to try to force or shove God into the little crevices of our lives. The best option is to carve time out for God and let everything else fill in. If time with God is the priority, everything falls into place.

What are you hanging on to? What might be crowding God out of your life?

This is part of “The Formative Path” a 2024 Fall Sermon Series at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Bloomington, Indiana. For more information and the Weekly Reflection Sheets, go to https://ponderingpassages.com/category/path/