It’s natural to kick into autopilot when we’re busy. This sounds and it IS natural, but this is when we miss our opportunities for God. Whenever we kick into autopilot that’s a code word for acting in our own strength rather than seeking God in every encounter and approaching each individual uniquely. God does not want us to get through our days, but rather to embrace each day as a God-given gift that He’s given us… breath in our lungs in order to glorify Him.

We come to a beautiful part in Genesis, the reunion of Joseph with his father, Jacob. We read when Jacob hears the words of his other sons in Genesis 45:26-28, about Joseph, "And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob's heart stood still, because he didn’t believe them. But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. Then Israel (aka Jacob) said, "It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die." Just step back and imagine for a second, Jacob believed his son Joseph was dead and he had not seen him for over 20 years. The natural thing would be to kick into autopilot, which is just what Jacob had done most of his life moving forward in his own strength. But this is not what Jacob, now re-named Israel, does. The southernmost part of the land of Canaan is Beersheba. We read before exiting and entering the wilderness before Egypt, "So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac." Rather than his own strength he sought God and God responded with a beautiful promise to him in 46:2-4.

We are all busy both at home and for those of us who go to work, at work. Every day we must choose how we will not just approach every day but each and every encounter God sends our way. The question we must all step back and ask ourselves is whether we are trying to get by in life or whether we want to experience the Spirit filled life. This is not a once and done decision at the moment of accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This is sanctification in which we make moment by moment decisions to seek our own imperfect will for our lives or His perfect will. As Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 12:10, "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Whenever we kick into autopilot, we are weak in our own strength. God offers us true strength.