Did you ever start driving somewhere only to get to your destination and have no recollection of how you got there? Somewhere along the way your brain switched to autopilot while the rest of you just went through the motions. This happens to me from time to time and I’m always a little uneasy when I realize it’s happened. How could I have just driven all that way without even thinking about it? What did I miss along the way? It’s kind of scary really.

Did you realize that you can live your life the same way? At some point along the way your life can become such a routine that you wake up each morning and just start going through the motions. Day after day goes by, one blending into the next until one day you suddenly realize that YEARS have gone by. What have I been doing all that time? What have I missed? How did this even happen? You may recall a great song by the Talking Heads that speaks to this…

I think the more important question is, how do we STOP this from happening? We were made to live for so much more!

We must not “fall asleep” spiritually and become complacent with our lives. That is something that the evil one wants. That is a victory for his side. If we become lazy and stagnant in our lives, we aren’t doing anything for the Kingdom of God. And if we aren’t doing anything for the Kingdom of God, the darkness will continue to grow stronger.

So how do we even get to this point? I feel there are a couple of main reasons this happens. One way is that our lives can become comfortable to us and routine takes over. You may think that sounds like a blessing, but if you are just living for comfort, you are really missing out on the bigger picture.

Another way we become ineffective spiritually is by getting thrown off course pursuing earthly things. We lose our focus. There are so many things in this world to distract us from our true purpose. Contrary to popular belief, we are not here just to have the biggest and best of things as we possibly can. We are not put here on this earth simply to make money, buy stuff and die. That would be pointless! Life is far more than a “bitter sweet symphony“.

They say you can’t take it with you when you go, and that is true! Do not make your life about accumulating “stuff”. Material things matter not. What DOES matter is something that is immaterial. That which you cannot see with just your eyes, rather something you feel in your heart.

LOVE! Love is what truly matters in this world. And it is love that is under attack. We were put on this earth for each other! Not for the pursuit of shiny things. Don’t get me wrong. I know how easy it is to fall into the trap of thinking that money is important. After all, we do need to take care of our needs, and unfortunately that requires money. And then you look around and see these really nice things and think, “I want that! No wait…I NEED THAT!” This typically translates into “I need more money”. We think, “if only I had THAT, I would be so much happier” (That is a lie as well. True happiness comes from within. But, I will save that post for another time). And so we work more, in order to buy more, only to want even more, which leads back to working more. Round and round we go…

As if our pursuit of money isn’t a big enough distraction, what usually happens next is that we become unhappy with feeling like that’s all we are about. So, we look for something else to make us happy. We want something to fill that void inside. The void that comes from losing our focus and disconnecting from God and our true purpose in life. For whatever reason, we then tend to turn to someTHING rather than someONE for help. This can usher in all sorts of additional problems.

Addiction to put it plainly. Be it drugs, alcohol, sex, social media, gambling or even something that doesn’t even seem harmful like exercising or one of our hobbies. If it’s something that you become obsessed with, it becomes an issue. Addictions only create more of a void inside because it’s only a temporary escape, and one that you will only continue to crave more and more.

So, this is where we need to be especially vigilant and not let these types of things overtake our lives. The only thing that will EVER fill that void is LOVE. We need to connect with both God and with each other. THAT is what life is all about. Loving people. Lifting them up when they’re down and helping each other out. We must realize that there is more to life than just ourselves and the material world. It’s about finding our true purpose and using it for the greater good, and doing all we can for those around us.

So if you are living your life on auto pilot, now is the time to WAKE UP!! Take back the wheel!! Don’t spend your days just going through the motions. And especially don’t make your life all about making money! Don’t let the evil one get what he wants. No! Get out there and live your true purpose!! Share the gifts God has given you with others in LOVE. Be His hands and feet and let His love shine through you for all to see! Live for the MORE life has to offer! God Bless!