Automatic Pilot

This morning I groggily got up at 4:18, shut off the alarm which had already been "snoozed" twice, and walked into the kitchen. It had been 4 very short hours since I had gone to bed, and I was still craving more sleep. I opened the refrigerator, got out the eggs and sausage, and automatically began making breakfast for my husband before he left for work. (No breakfast for me this early, my appetite will kick in about 9:30 or 10:00) I was standing at the stove cooking eggs when I finally woke up. "You need to go to the bathroom!", my bladder politely reminded me. I realized I hadn't even done that yet, rather just automatically gone into the kitchen to start breakfast. Before I could take care of the eggs and the call of nature, another call screamed through my brain. "Coffee!" I hadn't made coffee yet, that was still left undone. I quickly tied my legs in a knot and hopped over to get a coffee filter. Soon the coffee was brewing, the eggs and sausage were sitting on a plate, and my bladder was happy. But now my brain was fully awake, and it had seized upon an idea...automatic pilot.

How much of what I do everyday is just done on "automatic pilot"? I have caught myself driving to the post office or some other routine destination, and before I realize it I have somehow manuevered a monstrous 4WD Dodge Ram long-bed extended cab from point A to point B without even thinking about it. That's a little scary. Then when I get to the post office and someone says "Hi, how are you?" that automatic pilot kicks in again. "Just fine!" What is 'just fine', anyway? I'm 'just fine' and everyone I meet is 'just fine', too. (Our nation's motto shouldn't be "In God We Trust", it should be "We're All Just Fine!") How much of my day is just spent on automatic pilot, without much thought for or appreciation of the what, where, why, how and who?

And of course, that carries over into the spiritual. How much of what we do for God is just done on automatic pilot? Do we get up and get ready for church with an attitude of appreciation for all that worship entails, or is it just another part of our routine? Do we put any real thought into our prayers, our giving, our devotions, our study, or is it just another part of our routine that is checked off the list when done? And like the "just fine" at the post office, do we deal with others on automatic pilot, or do we really stop to listen to our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Sometimes that automatic pilot can be a good thing. Automatic pilot gets the eggs and sausage ready when I'm still asleep, and sometimes it gets me to the post office. I hope that some part of me is always "on automatic pilot" as far as God is concerned, that I will live and think and react in a way that pleases Him. The obvious cliched answer is to let God be our automatic pilot, and in a way that is true, we should be led by the Spirit of God. But God doesn't call us to live out cliches, nor to waste our time without thinking about what we're doing. Life and the people around us are much too precious for us to live that way.

The Message says it this way in Ephesians 5: " Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!
Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants."