What Are You Led By?

"For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father! The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." Romans 8:13-17 ESV 

I was scanning around the interwebs this morning and I saw a picture with this question on it: "Are you being led by the Holy Spirit or by your wounds?" Initially, I passed by it but as I pondered the question I scrolled back up and found it again and saved it to my desktop. The depth of this question got my mind rolling and I found myself asking by which spirit am I led? The Holy Spirit or the spirit of the wounds and scars that I carry inside myself? What is the motivation for the things that I do or don't do?

I wish that I could forget the times when I was less than careful with some of the decisions I have made. I can recall some foolish and rash choices that I made as a result of acting out of my wounds or fear rather than through the Spirit. I regret them and from time to time, they come back and haunt me, but I have learned to accept that it is a way to keep me from repeating the same mistakes. 

As a Christian, we are called to live carefully and wisely, led by the Spirit and not by our own desires. Everything thing that we do will have an effect, positive or negative, on those around us and could last for the rest of their lives. To say we should make the most of every opportunity would be an understatement. The things that look like hard work or a major battle, often times, cause us to worry and fear that we won't be able to complete the task given to us. And to tell the truth, if we attempt them in our own power we won't ever complete them. It is only when we rely on the Holy Spirit that we can fulfill the potential that God has placed into each and every single one of us. 

We all carry wounds in our hearts, whether we choose to admit it or not. And those wounds have an impact on the way we act and react to everything. Feelings of insecurity or low self-esteem that go all the way back to our childhood. Fear of abuse from being emotionally or physically abused as a kid. Or the fear of being abandoned by a parent leaving or passing away unexpectedly. As a kid, you weren't in control of these things that might have happened to you but as an adult, you can choose how to respond and deal with these things. You can keep these wounds from being the compass by which you direct your life. You can choose which motivates you: the Holy Spirit or the wounds?