Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
Ever experience an “Eeyore” day? Sometimes I feel like I could give Winnie the Pooh’s lovable friend a run for his money when it comes to pessimism. Eeyore’s capacity to focus on the negative rather than drawing strength from the positive infuses every situation with a cloud of doom and gloom.
And that’s the problem with pessimism. It robs us from seeing the goodnesses in life. Like Eeyore after he loses his tail. His friend tries to cheer him up by pinning on him a fake tail. Eeyore responds, “It’s an awful nice tail. Much nicer than the rest of me.” It often takes too much effort for us to keep the bad from overshadowing the good.
When we view life through a pessimistic lens, we limit ourselves to living “according to the flesh.” To what we see, hear and feel in the present. Paul reminds us in Romans 8 that Jesus came to free us from that mindset so we could live according to the Spirit. The Spirit enables us to see beyond whatever hardship we face. He assures us that no matter what kind of suffering we encounter, that God will use it for good (v.28).
But it takes faith to walk in the Spirit. And intentionality.
So when uncertainty surrounds me, I can either live according to the flesh and let anxious thoughts consume me. Or I can lean into the Spirit and grow in trusting God. When someone hurts me, I can either walk in self-pity. Or ask the Spirit to move me to forgiveness and create in me a cleaner, purer heart. Those days when I feel like the world is falling apart, I can cry out for the Spirit to remind me who’s in control.
Fallen life comes with hard knocks. No one survives unscathed. But God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us get through every confusing, depressing, life-sapping experience we encounter. Instead of repeating those Eeyore days, how about we try Piglet’s mindset? He begins each morning asking, “I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?”
That, Friend, reflects walking in the Spirit.