Over the years, I’ve met several people who have decided to temporarily leave their everyday lives in order to travel. They would travel to Europe, moving from town to town with no plans, no set destinations, no reservations and no particular schedule. They often needed to rely on the kindness of strangers for food and shelter.
Being an Event/Project Manager by trade, I would never be able to do this. I am the type of person who needs to have everything planned out. I even need to have back-up contingency plans in case something goes wrong. I have to be the “man with the plan.” Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that; but you begin to think differently after you read today’s Gospel (Mark 6:7-13).
Jesus sends out his disciples to spread the Good News and tells them to bring nothing with them but a walking stick. He is asking them to rely on the generosity of others and to trust that God will provide and take care of their every need on their journey.
And that’s the lesson for us today: we need to trust God. We need to trust in his plan for us. We need to believe that he will lead us and protect us so that we won’t wander aimlessly in the world.
But we must stop carrying around our own baggage. We need to be able to let go of our plans so that we can fully accept God’s will for us. And that is not easy to do because we want to be in charge of our lives – where we go, what we do, and how we do it. Instead of being the “man (or woman) with the plan,” we must strive to be a “child of faith.” Let us put our trust in the Lord so that we can be free from the pull of own desires so that we can focus on what the Lord desires of us. As it says in the Book of Proverbs: Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Seek his will in all you do and he will show you which path to take.
