Towards the end of January, I purchased a new Apple watch. It’s quite the amazing little device. This watch can do more than my first cell phone. It is an efficient and effective tool that has reduced my dependence on my cell phone, tablet, and computer. For the most part, I enjoy my new little friend and find it to be extremely useful.
At this point, I still don’t understand all the watch can do, but I’ve found quite a few features that I enjoy and utilize quite often. The calendar app keeps track and reminds me of scheduled events for the week, vibrating when a new event comes up. The maps app provides me with GPS directions to various locations, causing the watch to vibrate as I approach a turn. But, my favorite app is the Starbucks app because it lets me pay for my coffee by scanning a barcode on my watch, vibrating when my receipt comes in. It’s quite the handy little administrative assistant, consistently reminding me of details of my day.
It’s not all roses and rainbows, though. There are a few applications that do as much to drive me crazy than they do to help. The activity app is a prime example of this. I love that it tracks how many steps I’ve taken and translates that into miles walked. I especially enjoy checking it on Sunday’s after preaching two services. According to my watch, I walk approximately three and a half miles on an average Sunday morning. Along with tracking how many steps I’ve taken, the app also tracks how many calories I’ve burned over the course of the day and allows me to set a goal for how hard I want to work that day. However, this same app tracks how often I stand up during the day. The watch expects me to stand for at least one minute every hour twelve times a day. Every hour, at exactly ten minutes till, the watch triggers a little vibration reminding me that it is time to stand up again. Sometimes I stand and move for a moment, knowing that what the watch is telling me is for my own good. But, at other times, I press the “dismiss” button and go on as if nothing happened.
I find that our relationship with the Holy Spirit works in much the same way as my Apple watch. When we hear or read the Word of God, when various situations arise, in the midst of our daily lives, we can feel a subtle vibration in our hearts, nudging us in the direction God would have us to go. In John 16:13 we read these words of Jesus, “But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.” Sometimes we receive the message and do as we’ve been asked. At others, we come up with reasons why we shouldn’t, can’t, or simply don’t want to do what’s asked of us and we “dismiss” the request. God is at work in our lives. His Spirit is speaking to us. And, He desires to bring about His glory and our good through His direction. Hopefully, when we receive the notification and feel that vibration, we do what is required.
