Complacency: The Great Inhibitor

As we go through life, it becomes all too easy to fall into the trap of complacency. Each morning I wake up and go through the motions that have probably become ritual, not varying much from day to day. Sure there are those days when the snooze button is hit one too many times, altering my routine a bit. I may not have time to see my friend who welcomes me to McDonalds every morning and asks if she can take my order, even though she knows it’s going to be a “large diet coke…that’s all, thanks,” (hey, we all have our vices). All in all though, my days are interchangeable; Tuesday could be Thursday and Wednesday could be Monday. It can be a little monotonous, and if there is one thing I know, it’s that monotony has a way of dulling our focus. The trouble is, when monotony becomes acceptable, it leads to complacency, and the danger of complacency is its ability to stifle any ambition we have for personal growth. This is where I am, this is me: an unintentionally complacent individual going through the monotony of life (with an unhealthy addiction to diet coke, apparently).

Well, I recently moved to a new place, which theoretically shouldn’t really change too many things other than maybe taking a little different route to work. Crazy as it may sound, this seemingly unimportant event has opened my eyes to the power of complacency. Though I am bummed I don’t get to see my McDonalds friend anymore, I am embracing the opportunity to take on life with a new perspective. Furthermore, I am trying not to ritualize my new perspective, shedding my own clouded glasses to look through the spectacles of another.

The most staggering revelation to me was the reality of how complacent I had become in my walk with Christ. Relationships sometimes lose their vim and vigor and can become something that we take advantage of, without intentions of doing so. Our relationship with God is no exception. In fact, it is probably easier for this to happen because of the apparent “intangibility” of God. The lack of a physical being sitting in front of us presents a challenge for our finite minds.

In my attempts to take on a new perspective, I have switched my spectacles to focus on the broader view of God’s intentions for us. He created us to commune with one another, to relate and to love, just as He wants to commune with us. Think about the most important person in your life. You anticipate and look forward to the time spent with that person, time to share with each other, time to laugh, time to support and to be supported. How much more do you think our Creator anticipates that same time with us?

I just recently made a purchase on Amazon and, I tell you what, I am constantly checking my email to receive word on the status of my purchase. I got so excited when that email popped up that said my package had been shipped! Then the process of tracking the package began. I get really frustrated when the shipping service takes forever to update its system with my information; I log in every hour to see if there is any progress (I know, I know…get a life, right?!).

When I stopped and realized how much anticipation I had to receive correspondence regarding a package, it dawned on me how God might feel about communication with me. He is so excited about hearing from us and longs for us to deepen our relationship with Him. The sad reality was He had to probably go days without much communication from me because I had become complacent. How disheartening?! I had let the minutia of life take over…and I was okay with it. Thankfully, we serve a forgiving and understanding God so full of grace and love. He never grows so disheartened that He would leave us; He patiently waits on us, longing to shower us with His love!

Now I am not trying to tell you that you should adopt my way of thinking, but simply challenging you to look at your life from a different perspective. You, too, might realize that complacency has set in, ambitions have been abandoned…and relationships have suffered. However, if you look beyond that, you will see there is hope for change! We are new creatures in Him, and with that, all things start anew! Try picking up a pair of new spectacles on life. You might be surprised at what you see! :)