It isn’t rare for us to live our lives in automatic. We have routines so familiar and so well practiced that we don’t need to pay keen attention to get them done. Have you ever driven home and once in the driveway realized you cannot remember any details of the trip? We get busy thinking about work or what we are going to say when we see someone so our subconscious takes over and drives for us. I was in automatic this morning. I brushed my teeth with hydrocortisone cream instead of toothpaste. Without looking I picked up a tube, squeezed its contents on my toothbrush and yuk! It didn’t take long to snap to attention and start spitting.
Unfortunately we sometimes go into automatic with our families and forget to focus on them. We fail to comment on their achievements or don’t mention how nice they look today. We take for granted that the house is clean or that there are always clean socks in the drawer. Elves did not put them there. Often times we are nicer to strangers than we are to the people we love merely because we have gone into automatic. It isn’t malicious. It is just forgetting to focus.
It is the same with our worship experiences. We sing hymns and never notice or think about the words. We pray the same prayers over and over as if they were a mantra. Being aware and reacting accordingly is a secret to a full and happy experience for us and for those about us. It intensifies life and creates memories we would have missed. I can guarantee it is much better than having a mouth full of hydrocortisone.
Written by Roger Bothwell on February 28, 2013
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org