I’ve recently taken my first backpacking trip in years.

You see, a few years back I realized there was just one more thing I needed before I could go backpacking again.

And when I got that, I realized there was just one more thing I needed.

And after I had that, I realized there was just one more  thing I needed.

I didn’t actually get up and put on a backpack and head out into the wilderness until I told myself to stop worrying about what I didn’t have and to go ahead and put on a backpack and head out into the wilderness.

I thought about that when Bruce Enemark and I discussed the article he wrote for this issue of the magazine. Albert and Lynn Castelijn have translated about 60 percent of the New Testament into the language of the Banwaon people of the Philippines, along with portions of the Old Testament. So it seems like the church there should be able to say, “We’ll reach out and grow once that’s done.”

But they aren’t saying that. They’re not waiting. They’re already growing as believers, making disciples and reaching out to their neighbors.

Perhaps the Banwaon believers recognize that if they wait until the New Testament is complete, they’ll find another excuse after that. And then another. And another.

Just like I did with backpacking.

It seems to me that we often treat serving God the same way I treated backpacking — “I’d go, but I need one more thing.”

Or is that the way we’re treating giving? “I’d give, but I don’t have enough.”

Or is that how we treat growing? “I’d grow, but I don’t have the resources I need.”

And serving, giving and growing are far more important than backpacking.

So consider this: Do you really need more of anything before you can do these things? Are you — dare I ask this? — making excuses? Maybe you simply need to trust in the sufficiency of Christ.