Our Traveling Companion
A Friend for all Seasons
Summer is fully here and that means a bit of a slower pace in my writing :) If you’ve seen my recent posts, you’ll notice a theme emerging around the concepts of being stretched and growing (hopefully) in the midst of uncertainty. When we’re forced into some new experience or role, I feel as though there’s a crossroads. We have to decide if what’s being required of us to face this moment results in new facets of ourselves emerging or, like an ill-fitting outfit, new traits we don’t ultimately want to integrate into who we are. But this can be hard to discern sometimes, at least for me. How do you know if you’re becoming more yourself or less?
I used to think the Holy Spirit’s main job was peer pressuring you into doing things you didn’t want to do. Go out of your comfort zone, talk to this person, sacrifice this, basically lean into whatever opposite your tendencies are. Which I suppose there are times and places where we do need to be challenged to live as citizens of different Kingdom, one of generosity and courage. So perhaps the Spirit encourages does prompt us in this way on occasion. But what if we truly believed the Spirit’s formative work in our lives was to make us most like ourselves? The truest, freest, fullest version of ourselves?
In John 14, Jesus describes the promise of a life with the Spirit of God:
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you…26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
That word, “advocate” in the Greek is parakletos, meaning “one who walks beside”. Instead of pushing you from behind or dragging you from ahead, I love the imagery of the Spirit walking right next to you. Seeing what you’re seeing, hearing what you’re hearing. What if we really lived like we had access to God’s perspective, comfort, and wisdom in all areas of our life?
For some of us, depending on our history in the Church, family of origin, or relationships in general, companionship with God may not sound like a comfort. Three themes of sorts seem to be the pervasive projections we often ascribe to God’s voice in our lives:
Obligation - If you just dedicated more time to X, you would be a better person or your life would be going better.
Shame - Your behavior and thoughts are a disappointment to God, and therefore who you are is a disappointment.
Fear - If you don’t change X or if you aren’t grateful enough, God won’t give you what you want/need or will take something away.
And while these can be powerful motivators at first, they 1) don’t create sustainable change and 2) don’t represent the God we find in Scriptures. I’ve tracked down a few Scriptures that I think can serve as prescriptions against some of these persistent and loud thoughts that masquerade as the Holy Spirit:
Instead of Obligation -> Grace to live from a place of acceptance and unconditional love (See Luke 10:38-42)
Instead of Shame -> Freedom to feel forgiven and belief that God can make all things new (See Luke 22:54-62, then John 21:15-19)
Instead of Fear -> Peace in the mystery of how God works and that He is good (See Matthew 6:25-34; 7:7-11)
I don’t know if I’m always changing for the better. I’m sure I’m not always doing things as Jesus would do them. Sometimes you can feel so far from who you want or think you should be. But like returning to exercising after a period of inactivity, we can always just start, right where we are. And we can listen to good podcasts or try various hacks, but I think the most transformative way to being our truest selves is learning the voice and presence of the Spirit in our lives.
Maybe you’ve noticed the way a kid who may be a little timid is willing to try something new when their Mom is in view. That’s not out of fear or obligation from their parents, but safety. Her presence of security strengthens them to be who they really are and live the little kid life they want to live. That’s on offer to us. At the risk of being dramatic, I can’t think of anything more important for Christians to be doing in the world today than listening to the true Spirit of God, specifically in their life. It will likely take repetition and unlearning untrue things, but if we dedicate our attention to inviting the Spirit into our daily lives, I believe the impact, both personally and globally, is unquantifiable.
Prayer Prompts
Which one of the words above resonates most with how you see God’s voice? Take a moment to be honest with him about how you think He sees you.
Try imagining God literally walking beside you for the day. What would you smile and laugh at together? What would you look to Him for advice? How would knowing He sees change your perspective?
Ask God for belief and clarity on the Spirit’s voice in your life. Pray for discernment to believe what is true about God and what is not.
Go Deeper
What do you want to be true about how God sees you? Go on a treasure hunt throughout scripture to find how God walks beside people. Maybe it’s Hagar being abandoned by Abraham, or Moses feeling timid about his new role, or Joseph being falsely imprisoned for years. How do these stories add up to a composite of who God is when people need him most?
Praise Report
Not necessarily a spiritual rec, but this is one of my favorite Substacks at the moment. Jenna invites you to live a whimsical, joy-filled life. I love the simplicity of making meals, practicing gratitude, and being present more fun. She inspires me to cultivate practices that actually make you content in your life.