Nudges
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26
One of the few memories I have of my mother’s paternal grandparents, my great-grandparents, is of my mother telling me to hug what seemed to be a very old man. I didn’t step forward and she put her hand in the middle of of my back and gently nudged me toward him. My immediate response was to lean back into her and fight against her prodding. In the end, I went to Grandpa, and he was kind and gentle with me, but it took much urging on my Mother’s part.
We’ve all seen a parent gently prodding a toddler to action multiple times in our lives. A child is often resistant to new situations, and the parent has to prod the child forward. Many times the parent is introducing the child to something wonderful: A new food that will quickly become a favorite, a sport that will change that child’s life, or even a new friend group that the child will enjoy for years to come. The toddler needs reassurance that everything will be okay. Often times, we as Christians respond the same way to the gentle nudges of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We resist because our own lack of experience leads to misplaced fear. As we learn to trust His guidance, we begin to look forward and long for His leading in our lives.
As Christians, our first experience with the Holy Spirit came as we were convicted of our sin. With that abrupt knowledge that we are separated and apart from God comes the intense understanding that eternity is in the balance. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to our sinful condition and convicts us. That moment was sudden and vivid for me as a 12 year old girl. We were at an event that I had always loved attending. A large scale youth event at a local state park. I looked forward to it every year and was enjoying myself thoroughly, listening to gospel music when I suddenly realized that these people had something that I didn’t have. Of course, true to my nature, I ran. I jumped up and left the building, unwilling to confront my need for a Savior. A good sister followed me, but I put her off, and wondered around outside. I fought against that conviction for well over a year, before finally surrendering myself.
As young Christians, the Holy Spirit teaches us the truths of the Bible by allowing us to understand scripture. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26. I remember the new interest and fascination I found in the “things of the Lord” after I was saved. I was excited to learn more. We would do well to feed that hunger for knowledge in new Christians, to seek and find as many ways as possible to help them learn to lean on God in every aspect of their lives. It’s far too easy to allow growth to stagnate and stall and when it does the new believer misses blessings.
As we continue to grow and learn, the Holy Spirit begins to mold us. Although we are sealed by the Spirit through our salvation experience, we have much to learn and do to become better servants of our Savior. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14 We all have a “job” to do in our service to the Lord. I love the description of our different ways of serving God as different body parts. We are all necessary to the church, and we are all missed when we aren’t performing our job. If you’ve ever stubbed your toe or broken a fingernail into the quick, you know how much you pay attention to even the tiniest part of your body that isn’t performing as it should. Is your lack of obedience to God in doing what he has called you to do for your church causing noticeable pain or lack of function to your fellow believers? We are assured that regardless of our duty or place in the body, we are all extremely important to the right functioning of the body. If you don’t know what it is you’re supposed to be doing, spend some time praying about it Find your job (or jobs) and get busy doing it.
