Calibrators

Back when I was a single guy, I had a roommate, Jim. He and I would frequent the local establishments for a few beverages with the hopes of some sort of engagement with the fairer sex. I recall there were seasons when this engagement proved more "successful" than others—shall we say, one of us for some reason would have better "luck with the ladies"* with a greater frequency. I can recall having conversations with Jim which would typically pan out to a dude, you are on a roll these days. Oddly enough, it seems that whenever this roll was identified, and one of use would try to take advantage of it, that roll would end. The simply fact of awareness seemed to set things straight. We were not nearly as cool, suave, etc. as we thought we were.

Obviously the effect of awareness does not solely come to play when it comes to the guy/girl thing. I know that I am in need of some sort of awareness on a daily basis. There are many things that can puff me up and make me loose sight of who I am (or Why I Am—see March 5, 2010 posting). Things such as:
  • Success
  • Experience
  • Appreciation
  • Validation
  • Knowledge
Now these by no means are bad things—and often are wonderful things which may be used for great purposes—but they easily can (at least in my case) step in and remove some necessary perspective. In order to keep myself aware of how I need to truly consider myself, it is necessary for me to keep calibrated through relationships such as:
  • My spouse
  • Honest and trusted friends
  • Prayer
  • God's Word
  • ...even this blog
It is important to identify calibrators in our lives and seek them out continually. We need to be disciplined in these relationships and see that they are nurtured, communicative, and trusted. This allows us to keep our antenna up to identify those things which cause us to consider ourselves different than God intended. And also create an awareness of areas where we are available to apply ourselves at a deeper level—as God intended.

Galatians 5:25 shares "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.". So often I will lose sight of my step with the Spirit. Thank God for the relationship I have with Him, through Jesus, and thank God for all of the relationships and calibrators in my life.


*When I refer to "luck with the ladies", I don't mean getting lucky, I mean simply moderate engagement—don't over think this, y'all.