So much of my week at the lake can be summed up in one word: Recalibrate.  The dictionary.com definition explains why, “Recalibrate – to correct a measuring process by checking or adjusting again in comparison with a standard.”  The longer I live the more I realize my own need for regular times of spiritual, emotional and physical recalibration. 

The standard we use to guide that process should be the Word of God and the truths it conveys.  It really is amazing how many areas of life the Bible speaks to directly if we just look.  But let’s be honest.  The hard part for most of us is not discovering the standard but rather finding the time to check ourselves against it.  That’s why vacations, days off and nights where the cell phone goes on silent are essential for all of us. 

That’s been the story of my week – looking at God’s standard and my life and seeing where the two deviate.  Truthfully, the answer is way more places than I would like.  I need to get in the gym more, I need to rest more, I need to trust God in the lives of the people I lead more, I need to have more fun, I need to invest more in relationships and the list goes on and on. 

Now let me make it one step more convicting – all of that self checking isn’t even the hard part!  If we go back to the definition, we realize that if nothing actually changes, there’s been no recalibration.  Welcome to the truly impossible part!  Vacation sentiments have a way of getting crushed by the real world, I know.  We want to make all of these changes, but they never happen.  Ever been there?

Here’s the amazing news of the Gospel.   God not only leads us to the changes we need to make but also promises us the strength to live life in His rhythm.  Once we see the need to change, a sovereign Christ promises to bring that about by the power of the Spirit in us!  Recalibration is actually possible in my life and in yours.  Not because of our will power but because of the power of the One who loves each of us no matter how misaligned our lives are now.

My prayer is that each of us would find space for regular recalibration in life and the result would be an even more God focused life for each of us. 

Time to hit the beach,

John