“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Gal 5:25 NIV)
Solomon, in his great book on ‘Understanding the meaning of life’, says something very striking about the reason many strive to succeed or excel in life. He says:
“Then I saw that all hard work and skillful effort come from rivalry. Even this is pointless. It’s like trying to catch the wind.” (Eccl 4:4-5 GW)
And what does he mean by this? Well, what he means is that rivalry, envy or jealousy is often what motivates people to work hard or diligently to be successful.
Now you can check your life to see if what this wise man says in that text is not true about you too. Why do you want to have that thing you are crazy about having? Is it just because you really need it or because a neighbour, a colleague at work or a friend has it? Or why do you want to be in that position? Is it simply because you believe you have what it takes to handle it and use it for the good of all or because you think it will give you the opportunity to compete with certain individuals in terms of wealth, influence and so forth? In short, how much of the things you do for yourself or for your family members are actually need-motivated and not envy-motivated?
In any case, Solomon, in that text, further shows us that it is pointless to go for anything in life because we want to measure up with others. Yes, he says it is utterly useless and in fact foolish for us to run our lives on the basis of how other people’s lives are going. It is a chasing after the wind, as he puts it. In other words, living like that will not accomplish for us what we think it will. No, living like that cannot give us the kind of satisfaction, joy or peace of mind we think it will give us. Instead, it can only fill us with restlessness, bitterness, pride or a constant feeling of insecurity.
But why is it pointless to use other people’s lives as yardsticks for measuring our own progress or for running our lives? It is basically because God did not bring any one of us into this world to compete with others; rather, He brought each of us here to be a vital part of His eternal purpose. That is why we all can never have the same combination of circumstances or experiences in life. On the contrary, the circumstances and experiences each of us will be faced with in life, whether good or bad, are those that are associated with God’s purpose for him. So, we have no business trying to compete with one another in any way, for we all were not brought into the world to play the same roles.
Unfortunately, because many of us are ignorant of this, we have created a society in which competing with one another seems to be the only fuel that makes us thrive. And this is seriously robbing us of initiatives; it is preventing us from seeing and embracing God’s wonderful plans and provisions for our lives. So, we find ourselves competing for every little space or opportunity that shows up somewhere, as if God had not put more than enough space and opportunities in the world for every one of us to thrive.
But God has already made available for each of us all that he is ever going to need to enjoy life and make sense out of it. And the only way for us to access and enjoy these things is to give ourselves to doing what Apostle Paul says in our opening text. He tells us to keep in step with the Spirit. In other words, we are to run our lives according to the leading of the Spirit of God and not according to the progress or speed of accomplishment of some relatives, neighbours, friends, religious group members or colleagues at work or in school.
Now why does Paul say that? It is because only the Spirit of God knows exactly what our lives are individually meant to be and how to make them what they ought to be. He is the only one that knows how to make us original in our lives and with our lives. So, if there is anybody we need to keep in step with and move at his pace, He is the one. But how can we do that, if we do not have His fullness in our lives? And we cannot have His fullness in our lives, if we will not accept and embrace Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. So, embrace Jesus now, if you have not, so that you can enjoy the presence and the leading of the Spirit of God in your life.
Life Application: List three things you are currently pursuing – a purchase, a promotion, a lifestyle. Beside each one, honestly write down whether it is driven by need or by comparison. Hand over to God any that are driven by rivalry, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what He has actually assigned to you. This week, when you feel the urge to measure yourself against someone else’s progress, pray a blessing over that person and then return to your own assignment. Begin each morning with a simple prayer: “Holy Spirit, set my pace for today.”