We all live by pretty hectic schedules. When we wake up in the morning, we know exactly what our day will hold, from start to finish. This is a fine, organized way to live life. However, this sort of schedule often does not create the type of life environment conducive to spiritual leading.
What I mean by that long-winded, verbose sentence is this. When God shows up in our lives, and presents us with a Spirit led opportunity to talk about him, it is usually not a planned event. More often then not, the Spirit will pop it’s head up right in the middle of our day without warning. This is where the scheduled life and Spirit led living can become at odds. When we script our days out to the last detail, we become one track minded. We are so focused on getting through, one meeting, one class, one project at a time. This type of focus can place spiritual blinders on us, and we run the risk of walking right passed God’s promptings.......
What I mean by that long-winded, verbose sentence is this. When God shows up in our lives, and presents us with a Spirit led opportunity to talk about him, it is usually not a planned event. More often then not, the Spirit will pop it’s head up right in the middle of our day without warning. This is where the scheduled life and Spirit led living can become at odds. When we script our days out to the last detail, we become one track minded. We are so focused on getting through, one meeting, one class, one project at a time. This type of focus can place spiritual blinders on us, and we run the risk of walking right passed God’s promptings.......
The complete opposite end of the spectrum is no different. Those who schedule nothing, who plan nothing for their days and for their lives, these people usually never leave the couch and therefore, rarely expose themselves to opportunities for promptings of the Spirit.
The heavenly balance here, was modeled perfectly in Jesus. Jesus had a mission. His overall mission of course was to get to Jerusalem. He knew that’s where the Father was calling him in the long run. Don’t think that Jesus did not have a schedule to follow. But Jesus kept the spiritual blinders of scheduled living off and was willing to set his schedule aside for a minute or two in order to experience, or give an experience, of the divine. We must follow this model for living if we are to live the life of leaves tossed and turned by the winds of the Spirit. Admit to yourself that you have five extra minutes to pray with someone, or encourage someone, or to simply ask someone about their day and really care about the answer.
The scheduled life is important, but it must always be secondary to the Spirit-led life.
-jon
The heavenly balance here, was modeled perfectly in Jesus. Jesus had a mission. His overall mission of course was to get to Jerusalem. He knew that’s where the Father was calling him in the long run. Don’t think that Jesus did not have a schedule to follow. But Jesus kept the spiritual blinders of scheduled living off and was willing to set his schedule aside for a minute or two in order to experience, or give an experience, of the divine. We must follow this model for living if we are to live the life of leaves tossed and turned by the winds of the Spirit. Admit to yourself that you have five extra minutes to pray with someone, or encourage someone, or to simply ask someone about their day and really care about the answer.
The scheduled life is important, but it must always be secondary to the Spirit-led life.
-jon
