Use It or Lose It

After buying my kids snow cones during a visit to the zoo, we promptly sat down with our friends to enjoy the treat.  Unfortunately the baby became increasingly upset in his "My morning nap was cut very short for this place" stupor, and the kids and I headed for the exit with snow cones in hand.  My 2-year-old son, who was riding in the double stroller with the baby, was adamant that he should hold his snow cone while in the stroller.  I could picture how badly this would turn out, but I allowed him the pleasure. 

The older girls walked along beside me, happily munching on their snacks.  The 2-yr-old, however, gripped his snow cone tightly to his chest, refusing to eat it.  Each time I would stop and attempt to pry the cold mess from his little grubbies, the result was screaming and clutching the snow cone tighter, all the while spilling more red ooze down his shirt and onto his shorts, legs, arms, stroller, etc. 

I found myself quite amused at his insistence that he hold onto that snow cone despite his absolute unwillingness to eat it.  Then God brought this to my heart as a truth of our Christian lives.  Aren't there many of us who do this very same thing with the blessed Holy Spirit?  Upon receiving the Spirit in the refreshing waters of baptism, we clutch the Spirit tightly to our chests, just sure that someone is going to attempt to take him from us.  Yet in our comfort of that understanding - "yes, I have the Spirit!" - we often choose to do nothing with him.  And this allows us to be nothing but stagnant Christians, just making big messes of our lives all while ignoring the Counselor that God blessed us with to help us fight through those very messes!!

1 Thess 5:19 tells us not to "put out the Spirit's fire."  The longer I allow the Spirit to be unused in my life, the less obvious His voice will be to me.  Soon after that, He is gone.  Now where would that leave me?

I will be praying today that you and I, my Soul Sisters, have clarity to hear the voice of the Spirit - that we will be strong enough in the Lord to go where the Spirit leads us- and that the more we listen, the stronger His voice will be to our hearts!

Love to you all, dear Soul Sisters!
-Kelly T