“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:25
I wrote down this verse at the end of December to meditate on in January. I have been thinking about what it means to live by the Spirit. It sounds good, but what does it look like in everyday life?
I got an answer the other night as we were up in the night with kids and then we were having a hard time falling back asleep. I was having a hard time falling back asleep because I was worrying about how the sleep disturbance would effect me the next day. When I start to worry about these things, my mind goes into a tailspin of silly worries that don’t need to be worried about.
Exodus 16 tells the story of the Israelites being led in the desert by Moses. They started grumbling and complaining about not having enough food. God provided enough manna for one day and told them not to take more than they needed for the day. Some of them disobeyed and took more and their manna was rotten in the morning.
Food is not something that I typically worry about. I hardly ever have to worry about if we are going to have enough food for the day. I know many people don’t have that luxury, but in our home it is not something that is a concern. My concerns recently have been centered around my energy level and getting enough rest and relaxation. I find myself grumbling just like the Israelites that I don’t have enough energy or time in my day to do the things I want to do.
As I laid in bed worrying about when I would be able to make up for this lost sleep, I felt like God was putting the story of the Israelites and the manna for the day in my head. I felt like he was telling me to stop worrying about my energy level for the next day and to enjoy what he had provided me for this day.
I felt like God was painting a picture for me what keeping in step with the Spirit means. I need to trust God for the energy I need for today, for this hour and minute. He does not want me to be burdened down with worry about when I will be able to refuel. When I trust God to fill me, I feel His presence more in my life than when I am leaning on myself.
I heard somewhere that you know something is an idol in your life by the way you think you would react when it is taken away. By that definition, sleep and rest are a big idol in my life that need to be given to God and not manufactured by my own will.
I want to experience God’s full power in my life. God does not distance himself from us, it is the other way around. When I try to manipulate my life situations by gathering more “manna” than I need in the moment, I am distancing myself from my Creator.
We are not meant to live life with mountaintop highs all the time. We are really meant to live life in the valley where God shapes us and molds us and He can use us more when we are relying on Him instead of on ourselves. I want to live my life leaning into my Creator and not trying to blaze my own trail thinking I, the created being, am above the Creator.