Every day when you and I head out the door of our room, apartment or house we take with us whatever we think we will need for the day. We might carry things in a purse, a briefcase, a satchel or maybe just our pockets. But for sure, we “pack for the day’s journey.”

I am wondering today if we pack the right things? I am wondering if we give serious thought to how we should prepare to be God’s hands and feet in our world, each week.

Consider two stories I recently heard. (Thank you Kevin Garibaldi.) One was about The Franklin Expedition of 1845. It seems that John Franklin and 138 men set sail in two ships bound for the Arctic. They were trying to find the North-West Passage – the seaway linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

On board, they carried a 1200 volume library, full sets of china for every crew member, cut glass goblets and their own coat of arms. But they did not pack any extra coal.

So, when the coal ran out, they set off on foot. Years later, their frozen bodies were found strewn across the ice. And all around them were the plates, cups, books and other useless materials that just weighed them down.

Contrast that story with one about Friedl Brandeis, a Jewish art teacher who lived in Prague. When the Nazis came through their community and demanded they pack up and leave. Friedl stuffed her one bag with art supplies. She jammed in colored pencils, crayons, brushes and tubes of paint.

After she was relocated to a horrible ghetto, she asked permission to teach the children art. Soon some 600 kids found ways to express their hearts and deal with their trauma through painting and coloring and drawing.

She used her time, her gifts, her supplies for a most worthwhile pursuit. She literally packed her bag well.

I want to be that kind of person (and I am sure you do too!) We need to pack well for the journey (to our office, our school or our home). We need to be prepared to share our God given talents, abilities and resources for the sake of the Kingdom.

Skip the china and goblets. Let’s pack well this week!