My wife and I live in the midwestern part of the US. One of our daughters (and four of our grandchildren) lives on Long Island. Debbie and I try to visit them two to three times per year to be personally involved in their lives.
Each time we visit, I try to make sure I go on a walk with my youngest granddaughter at least once every day. This is both for her exercise and mine and to keep me from sitting around. I always try to make a game out of our walking time by pretending we are lost and telling her that she led us the wrong way. Of course, with my phone in my pocket, even if I did make a wrong turn, I could always get us back to her house easily. (Anyone who has been to Long Island should be able to vouch for me about how easy it is to get lost!)
While my granddaughter and I are walking, we are most often side by side making it easy to talk. However, there are times when she runs up ahead, or I make a quick turn to change our direction. When these things happen, it’s not so easy to talk because we are not “in step” with each other.
In Step with the Spirit
Galatians 5:25 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” It is my desire to be in step with the Spirit. However, I will admit that there are times when I venture off the path that He has for me causing me to be out of step. When we are walking step by step with Him (i.e. reading the Word, hearing the preaching of His Word, spending time in fellowship with other believers, spending time in prayer), it is easier for us to see what He truly has for us. But when we wander off doing our own thing, seeing and discerning what God has for us becomes quite difficult. In my own life, I know these are the times when I sometimes wonder, “Where are You God?” It is not until I get back into the Word and fellowship with Christ that I see it is me that has wandered away, not Him.
As a husband, father, and grandfather, I try to make sure that I am a positive example to my family, and for that to come about, I must be in step with God.
Just as it is when my granddaughter and I are out of step causing difficulty in talking, it is the same in my walk with Christ. He may be talking to me, but I really don’t hear what He is trying to say because I’m so far away. Likewise, when my granddaughter is away from me on our walk, I am extra vigilant in watching that she doesn’t wander into the street or too far away from me. I may have to shout for her to hear me. I’m glad we serve a Savior that also watches out for us and is willing to bring us back into step with Him even when we have wandered.
The love that I have for my granddaughter is displayed when I bring her back in step with me. It is amazing that as many times as I get out of step with the Father, He loves me so much, that He lovingly brings me back in step with Him. This is the type of love that we need to show to our loved ones.
I don’t always get it right, but it is a goal to be as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:11 – “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
