I remember sitting in his office pouring my heart out. Id recently come out of a brief, abortive attempt at a relationship. The manner in which she broke it off, along with basically ending some of her closest friendships made me worried for her and if me letting her go had been the right thing. More than that, my spiritual life was as dry as a bone. The harder I tried to fan the flames, the worse it got. I was halfway through my senior year and I was very seriously considering packing it in and going home. This was a bona fide depression. I remember saying something like, I am in desperate need of a breakthrough. After a moment my professor said, I can tell you exactly how to get your breakthrough. And then the following three words revolutionized my life. It brought a whole new outlook on my world view. Those words impacted and improved my spiritual life like no other pithy statement possibly ever could have. He said to me, Go to sleep. Thats it. Go to sleep. I could go into all the reasons I wasnt sleeping, but why bore you with the details? I could, and am getting real tempted to, go off on a rabbit trail here about how the body and the mind and the spirit are so interlinked but that is not the direction I was thinking to take this. I was thinking about something far more simple. Then again, I am talking about something much more difficult. It is something I far too often lack in my life. I am talking about common sense.
- - - - - - - - - -
When talking about living the spirit filled life, using common sense wouldnt have been the first thing that would have popped in my mind. To be honest, I dont even think it would have made its way on to my list. But isnt that part of our problem? The world views Christians as crazy. In a way, theres nothing we can do about it. After all, what on earth could the actions and teachings of a man from a backwater community possibly have to do with how I live my life today. The message of the cross? Its foolishness. In a way I can empathize with those who say it makes just as much sense to worship the flying spaghetti monster. But that does not give us license to add fuel to the skeptics fire. We have a responsibility to use wisdom as we live out our lives. After all theres an entire book of the Bible dedicated exclusively to the subject. Peter writes: So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other peoples affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. I want to add one to that list If you suffer, however, it must not be for being stupid. I think Paul was on to something in Ephesians. When he goes into the practical aspects of the spirit filled life, he starts it out by saying: So be careful how you live. Dont live like fools, but like those who are wise. And for me well, Im off to bed.
