Look At Me

I’ve felt overwhelmed and distracted recently. I’m still struggling with it, to be honest. In the midst of that, I’ve also been pondering Galatians 5:25, “If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well” (NASB). Some translations say “keep in step with the Spirit” (ESV) or “walk in the Spirit” (KJV).

Walking in the Spirit. What does that look like practically? This is what I’ve been seeking God about. In the midst of the day-to-day flurry, how can I walk in God’s Spirit?

I don’t pretend to know the answer to this question even a little bit. But as I sit here this morning asking God, “Where are we going? What’s next?” I feel Him gently remind me to turn to Him for the next thing. Admittedly, that’s not the answer I was hoping for. But I smile as I remember that God doesn’t usually give me a roadmap of exactly where we are going. It’s usually a constant conversation of “What’s next, Lord?” I’m learning to be ok with it. And actually, I am finding peace in it, too. 

Learning How to Walk

“Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk…” Hosea 11:3 NASB

In Hosea 11:3, God is speaking to the Israelites through the prophet, Hosea. Ephraim represents the nation of Israel as a whole. Nevertheless, it serves as a reminder to me as well that God teaches me to walk, too. The next verse goes on to say, “I pulled them along with cords of a man, with ropes of love.”

I recall when I adopted my greyhound, Nellie, I had to teach her how to walk on a lead. Ideally, the lead is simply a gentle guide and there is no tension or pulling from either party. Nellie was my first dog and I had much to learn about caring for and training her. As a retired racer, despite her docile demeanor, she has a very high prey drive due to her conditioning. On walks, if she saw another dog she would immediately try to lunge and chase it, nearly pulling my arm out of the socket as I gripped the leash tightly.

One of the training tips I learned was that if I could get my dog to look at me instead of what was going on around her, I could keep her under control in triggering situations.

So we practiced “look at me” a million times in a safe environment. Then we got to a point where if I spotted a dog approaching, I’d say “look at me” and encourage her to hold my gaze until the other dog was a safe distance away. I’d give her a treat and she would trot along beside me happily. After some time, she knew the drill. And when she saw a dog in the distance, she would (you guessed it) look at me! I didn’t even have to say the words. She learned that it was more beneficial for her to look at me than to futilely attempt to go after the oncoming dog.

Surrender to the Ropes of Love

The only way I will learn to walk in the Spirit, and surrender to the ropes of love that are pulling me gently along on life’s journey, is to look at the Lord. To turn my gaze to Him when distractions put me in a tizzy, and I want to react with urgency and jump at the next thing that needs to get done. To look to Him when my emotions want to get the best of me and tempt me to behave in ways unbecoming for a child of God.

It takes practice, just like it took Nellie countless repetitions for it to stick. And it takes consistency. Nellie and I have not practiced “look at me” in over 7 years, so I’m not sure if she remembers that command anymore. But for you and me, looking to the Lord must be an everyday, forever thing, friends.

The journey on Earth is full of distractions and triggers, and it is so easy for us to get off course and surrender to our wills or the wills of others, instead of God’s will and ways. But God’s will is perfect. So it behooves us to look at Him for the next thing and let Him teach us how to walk in the Spirit. 

What are some things that you do to be intentional about looking to the Lord daily? Please share your thoughts in the comments...