Do you always follow your gut? No, I’m not talking about to your fridge. We most all could answer that with a resounding, Yes! I’m talking about listening to your innards, those deep seated feelings, your inclinations, the sways of thoughtfulness.
What’s she talkin about, you say? I’m talking about following the little voice inside. The other day a friend of mine couldn’t decide whether or not to go to another friend and comfort them when they’d heard some sad news. I don’t want to intrude. I don’t want to upset them. I don’t want to do the wrong thing. I don’t want to say the wrong thing. We’ve all been there and we have all ended up doing nothing. Just like we don’t follow through on those hugs we mean to give, those cards we mean to send, the calls we mean to make, the visits we mean to schedule. Not a criticism, just an observation of me. Sometimes we just don’t listen to our gut. Does it matter? I think probably. You see, I think we could be missing out on the worship and the blessing by not following our guts.
Have you ever considered that when His children follow their gut on the kindesses of life those acts are viewed by God as acts of worship, that they bring honor to God? Kindnesses by unbelievers are just that, kindnesses. Those kindnesses cannot be acts of worship if they are not done by worshipers. It doesn’t mean those acts are not kind. It means that those acts are not intended for His glory.
So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.
John 13:4-5
God’s children following their gut in serving others, in any capacity, is always worship. Do you think Jesus had an agenda when he attend the Last Supper? Do you think he said: “Ok, after the meal’s second course, I’m going to stand up and take off my robe, wrap a towel around my waist, pour the water into the basin, and then I’ll wash the disciples’ feet and then wipe them off with a towel?” I may be completely wrong, but I don’t think it went down like that. I think Jesus looked around, had a stirring inside, in His gut, for the people He loved. He didn’t just think about it being a nice thing to do, He acted on it. Can you imagine how God must have felt as He watched from the heavenly realms this act of service, this act of love?
Whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to Go the Father.
Colossians 3:17
As Christians, all of our lives should be about the business of serving others. We were born sinners so we were not born with that natural inclination to be about others. Our natural inclination is to be about our own business, worshiping ourselves. Ouch! We rarely follow our gut because we don’t have time – our lives are so full of the things “we” need to do; we forget – our lives are so full of the things “we” need to do; we don’t have the energy – our lives are so full of the things “we” need to do; and frankly, we don’t have the desire – our lives are so full of the things “we” need to do. Hmmm…. But, remember our rebirth, our changed spirits – it’s no longer about the “we” but about the He.
“For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28
Those acts of service can only be accomplished if we are guided by the Spirit, who works in our gut, in our core, in our splankna (yes, that’s a word). The urge to anoint a friend for healing, follow your gut. The impulse to make that phone call, follow your gut. The desire to reach out and give that hug of reassurance, follow your gut. The compulsion to stop by a friend’s house, follow your gut. The overwhelming impulse to reach out to another, follow your gut. Those are Spirit nudges that result in acts of worship. And those Spirit nudges are blessing makers. Following through on the spurring of the Spirit, on the goading in your gut will always result in blessings, even when you don’t see it.
Heard a gut moment the other day: A friend had an overwhelming urge to buy her friend an Easter dress. My friend followed through on that unquenchable idea that kept running through her head all the way home from work. Off to the mall. Unfortunately, the dress didn’t fit. However, my friend suggested that her friend’s daughter try the dress on. It fit perfectly. The daughter responded with gratitude and also advised my friend that she now had a dress she could wear to the prom. You see, the daughter was going to the prom and she had no dress to wear. Following through on the gut produced an immeasurable blessing for a young girl, and a powerful opportunity to draw close and witness. If we follow through on our inside inclinations of kindnesses, God smiles.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6