One of my least favourite things to do in preparation for travel or other activities is packing. I put it off until the last possible moment and then find myself throwing all manner of things into a case or bag.

As I was starting to write about this I had a sense of deja vu and have just discovered that I wrote some very similar opening lines in a post called ‘The perils of packing’ back in August 2019. It seems I may have not improved much in my time since.

What lead me to think about this situation this week? As part of my focus on discipline this year one of the practices I am putting in place is a monthly spiritual retreat day to help me take the time to pause and listen to God with greater intention.

I had set aside my first such day 2 weeks ago and decided I would head to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens for a picturesque setting and so put some things into my backpack and headed off. There was only one small problem … the amount of stuff I chose to take with me for this venture.

My supplies for this day included a water bottle and carrier, 3 notebooks, multiple pens and pencil case, a Bible, a sun hat, my iPad, some metal straws, my reusable cutlery, my purse, a folder of prayer resources and my handbag. Believe it or not, this was after I did some culling of other items!

I can honestly say that with all those things the load on my shoulders was quite heavy and it significantly reduced my overall enjoyment of walking around that beautiful setting.

Then, last week I was heading for a 4 day interstate getaway and I determined not to be weighed down by all the superfluous items I always include, believing I will have more time and opportunity than I actually have. I reduced the number of clothing items, books to read, craft activities I was tempted to pack and yet I still found that there were things that I lumbered through airports that remained untouched for the entire journey.

Why do I do this? I was so proud of my perceived discipline in packing on both occasions but it still didn’t quite meet the mark. I don’t see myself as someone who has FOMO (fear of missing out) in life, but I wonder if this is part of the problem?

What if I have an urge to work on my cross-stitch project (that has laid dormant for 18months) and I am not be able to fulfil that desire? Or what if I want to write in a particular notebook with a particular pen and I don’t have access to it? Or what if I order a meal and they provide those dreadful bamboo cutlery items? Or what if I want to climb a mountain? Or take up deep water swimming?

Notice the problem? That phrase “what if…?” It is the projection of the possibility of missing an opportunity if I am not completely prepared for any circumstance. Does that not sound like the definition of fear of missing out? The unintended consequence for this less than tenable belief is that I end up being more heavily burdened and that is after the intense mental gymnastics to consider multiple possibilities that may beset me.

If I am honest and drill down to the heart of this, I wonder if it is connected to my desire to believe I am somehow in control of the things that come my way. I cognitively know that I am not actually in control of much, but that doesn’t stop my non-rational self operating on unchallenged beliefs.

I turned to the Bible for some wisdom addressing the fear of missing out and in Psalm 34 verse 10 it states: “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”

God has great plans for me and if I continue to seek after His direction and leading I don’t need to try to plan for every contingency. If I rest in His guidance I will pack the appropriate amount of things to be sure I am well equipped but not unnecessarily burdened in the process.

I am yet to have the opportunity to put this into practice, but am heading off for a 4 day retreat later this month, so time will tell. I will let you know how I go!

Be blessed.