How to Pack Smart

I love road trips. I even love packing for them! The challenge of fitting everything efficiently with enough room for rearview mirror visibility is enjoyable for me. There are always expected rules to follow, like putting the heaviest and largest items in first, but each trip is unique, so it’s always a new puzzle. Now that we have three young travelers, packing for the rare family vacation has become exceptionally challenging… but no less enjoyable.

Recently, we went on a road trip through several states. Most of our time would be spent around one area where we rented a house to stay in. However, during the halfway points to and from home and near one other destination, we decided to camp.

That meant not only was I packing normal items for a trip, but specialized items for camping. Of course, the most important of such items is the tent. Last year, I found a good deal on a tent that could comfortably fit our family of five. Expectedly, it’s heavy and large. Unexpectedly, though, it was not one of the first things I packed. It was actually one of the last.

Why?

Because I’ve been camping before and learned the hard way that the tent needs to be easily accessible. The first few times I camped with my wife, we never reached our site until after sunset. It can be hard enough pitching a tent in the dark, but it’s even worse having to unpack the whole vehicle just to find it.

Sometimes experience shows us that the expected rules for life need to be adjusted slightly. The end result can be the same, but going a different way to get there can be better. This is what Paul encountered when he traveled to Athens. He still spoke with members of the synagogue as he usually did, but he did not spend all his time there. The writer of Acts introduces this section by telling us:

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. …he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. (Acts 17:16-17 NLT)

Paul was then brought to a popular public square: the Areopagus. There, he drew upon his experience in Athens to relate to them in ways they would understand. The end result of his message was the same—Jesus and His resurrection—but the way he got there was different. Instead of talking about Jerusalem or quoting from the prophets, Paul referenced a place and a person they were familiar with: the altar to the Unknown God and the poet Epimenides.

Paul still efficiently packed a lot of truth into his sermon, and though it was brief, some joined him and became believers (Acts 17:34). I’m sure it was challenging to present the Gospel to people with no Scriptural foundation to reference. But full of the Spirit and confident of how true and critical his message was, I’m also sure Paul enjoyed that challenge. May we as Spirit-filled believers of the same true and critical Gospel message have joy in the challenging opportunities for witnessing we’re given!

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.