Trailers Follow, Right?

There’s always a point where you take inventory of the things you own and ponder what you really need and where to put all of it.  I had this wrangling of thoughts a few weeks ago when we were finalizing what we were going to pack and take on a family road trip.

The reality is we had a lot of stuff that we wanted to take.  Bikes, paddleboards, clothes, lots of food, and the family dog.  There were things tethered to us that we didn’t want to leave behind but we thought we needed a little more space than our truck allowed.

And that’s when “trailer talk” entered the room and I found myself looking for a trailer to pull behind our truck so we could take everything we desired across the country to Colorado.

Now the trailer is a story in itself, as it’s an old military trailer and not a sleek, cargo trailer.  But all of the trailer-talk, packing, and then observing the sheer number of trailers on the road got me thinking about what all we pack as people and where we place these things that we deem part of us. 

We all carry a lot of things!  These things bring us some identity.  Maybe even a bit of worth.  We can carry a career.  A college degree.  A success story of hard work.  A political party.  An ideology.  Maybe we carry physical looks or the status of living in a certain place.  I really can’t describe all of the things that we could potentially identify with!  And we are all unique and carry a lot of things.  Our trailers can help us relate to some others while probably push others away.   I’d say we all have trailers that carry our uniqueness and individuality.

But my question is, “What are you carrying and where is it?”

When we packed out trailer for a road trip, I took inventory of everything we wanted to take.  Some items I packed deep within the trailer with the hope that I would never need them.  Other things were packed with great care and with a lot of extra protections surrounding them.  Some things, like our clothes and food, rode in the bed of the truck.  Finally, our boys and dog rode in the cab of the truck because they are the most valuable to us!

I think it’s important to pack things with purpose when we live among others.  Having a lot of things is great and brings some diversity to each of us.  But we need to have discernment of what stays close to us and what can go in the trailer.   It would have been pretty awkward to have our boys sit in the trailer and our bikes fill the cab of the truck.  There is a need to prioritize and place the most important things close to us.

Placing the trailer in position is equally as important.  As much as I enjoy the challenge of backing a trailer into tight spaces, I would never consider letting the trailer lead for a long road trip.  It just doesn’t work that way.  It’s not efficient or effective.  This is how we sometimes present our personalities to others when we put the “trailer stuff” out in front and let it be the first thing people see.  When the trailer leads, people are going to notice the contents of the trailer long before the things you keep close to you.

What or who is in the cab with you?  What’s in your trailer?

Having a relationship with Jesus should be the closest thing to you.  He should absolutely get a spot in the cab.  May I even suggest the driver’s seat?  All other things stem from that relationship.  He should not be in your trailer or placed behind your trailer!  Culture, politics, and societal issues should follow Him.  Jesus’ followers, the church, should have him close and frame the world from His guidance, prompting and teaching.

Being a follower of Jesus and keeping Him close should be authentic and real.  It will be twisted and misconstrued at times but to some it’s noticeably different in a positive way!   There are times we put other things closer to us than Him or put a collection of those things in the lead and ask Him to join in to support of our cause.  This shouldn’t be!  Leading with Jesus is better than following a trailer with all of the issues of the world.  Really following Jesus really means seeing the world through His eyes, and that means keep our trailers, and all of their belongings, behind Him.