More From Peter Caligiuri

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
— Galatians 5:25 (NIV)

When I wrote “Not Taken for Granted” four years ago, my wife and I had just recently retired. Being accustomed to a fast-paced work life, I found it difficult to slow down in our new lifestyle. One painful way God used to teach me was that not once, but twice, I broke my little toe on the same chair leg while hurrying into the kitchen for my morning coffee! Though now it seems funny, it was far less than humorous at the time. Yet this was the way that the Lord used to show me that I needed to match my pace with his.

But slowing down to consider our steps is not just something we need to do in retirement. Today’s verse urges us to be listening for the Spirit’s footsteps and to be matching our pace with his daily. We all stumble over a few “chair leg” obstacles along the way. Our chair legs might look like the person driving way below the speed limit in front of us when we are late for work or perhaps an injury or sickness that strikes when our calendar is full of demands we can hardly keep up with. Rarely do we stop to think, Maybe God is trying to teach me something. Instead we mutter under our breath things like, “I can’t believe it! Why me? Why now?” But if we slow our steps to match the pace that God has for us at this time in our lives, we will discover we can spend more time in prayer, get to know our spouses better, or even learn our neighbors’ names! We hurry all our lives, thinking that by rushing around we will not miss out on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. But all the while, God is telling us that we will get places the fastest when we slow down enough to keep in step with God!