A house with small children would never pass an OSHA inspection. I’m a light sleeper, and anytime my kids make a noise, I’m up to check on them. Getting from my bed to their room silently is no small feat, though. At 3am, it’s amazing how easy it is to evaluate just how many of your toddler’s toys have motion sensors that set off loud noises and flashing lights, to say nothing of how hard they are on bare feet and toes when kicked or stepped on.
Another factor not working in my favor: I’m pretty much blind without my glasses. So add all that up: it’s dark, I’m barely awake, I can’t see, the floor is a minefield of toys, furniture and other stuff, and I need to get from one room to the next without making a sound. How do I check on the kids without waking the whole house up?
Fortunately, there’s an app for that. My iPhone makes a pretty good flashlight, and armed with that, I’m pretty much unstoppable.
If you’ve also developed ninja-like skills navigating a dark house full of toddler toys with nothing by , then Paul’s words this week should already have a mental box.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Eph 5:15-21)
Paul explains that this world is dark. The days themselves are evil, and the patterns of the world around us and our old, pre-Christian lives calls to us. Old habits die hard, and real, lasting change doesn’t happen overnight. But “walking carefully,” “understanding what the will of the Lord is,” gets a lot easier and comes a lot more naturally when we’re “filled with the Spirit.”
How well are you navigating this dark world? It’s hard – much harder than avoiding all the toys my girls leave on the floor. It seems like everything in Collin County seems designed to take my eyes off of Christ! But while there’s no easy way to walk in the dark, there’s an app for that – and it’s far more powerful than any gadget out there. God has graciously given us an incredibly large and effective flashlight to help us make our way. He’s given us the Bible, so that we can know His will – and He’s given us His Spirit so that we can understand and apply it.
Are you walking by the light of the Word and the Spirit? Or are you trying to do it all by yourself? Having tried too hard to do it without help, I’d suggest that walking in the light of the Word and the Spirit is a lot more effective (and less painful) than stumbling in the dark on your own.
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