The Essentials (Friday Devotional)

‘I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.’

- 1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Nearly a month into this new adventure of parenting, I’ve already learned that getting out the door takes a lot longer than it used to. Formerly, Lindsey and I could start getting ready to leave home just a few moments before we needed to be in the car, but now we have to allow at least 15 minutes to get everything together. It turns out you need a lot of stuff to keep babies safe, clean, and happy when they’re traveling!

So I hope you’ll understand the mistake I made late last week. Lindsey was blow-drying her hair, leaving me responsible for filling the diaper bag with all the essentials before we left. I scurried about collecting everything and, when I thought I had everything together, waited patiently by the door. When Lindsey emerged from the bathroom, she asked if I was ready, and I ran through the list of things I had gathered. Diapers? Check. Wipes? Check. Blanket? Check. Clean outfit? Check. Pacifier? Check. I smiled triumphantly, certain we could head out.

“Honey?” Lindsey asked sweetly. “What about the baby?” My eyes looked to the window all the way across the room. There was my son sleeping soundly in his car seat, waiting for someone to pick him up. I had all his essentials, but I was missing what counted most.

As we go through life, we often adopt the same attitude I did last week, thinking that if we’re just diligent enough then we’re sure to have everything we need. If I work enough hours, I’ll earn respect. If I save enough money, I’ll earn security. If I spend enough time with someone, I’ll earn love. By acquiring all these emotional and spiritual essentials ourselves, we think we’ll be ready when things get rough and we really need them.

But in rushing to acquire these individual essentials yourself, you can forget what matters most: your relationship with God. It is ultimately He who gives you the grace and the gifts that sustain you in the hardest times; it is He who is faithful when your own talents and resources fail you. While your own efforts can leave you helpless and hopeless, His grace is always sufficient to see you through.

So despite the individualistic allure of doing it all yourself, of singlehandedly working your way to spiritual health and maturity one step at a time, never forget what matters most in your spiritual life. Take it from me—you can have all the essentials gathered up, but if the most important thing of all is still far from you, you’re not going anywhere.