I’ve always been fascinated by black holes, which NASA’s website describes as “a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light cannot get out.” Imagine an object with a gravitational field so intense that no light, matter, or radiation can escape its pull. Black holes are invisible to human eyes, but space telescopes with special tools help identify black holes.
People will sometimes use black holes as a metaphor for a task that monopolizes all of one’s time, energy, or money. As a basketball player, I’ve sometimes compared a teammate who’s a ball hog with a black hole: “Like light, passes go in but they never come back.”
Consider the transformation that the Holy Spirit brings about in our lives as we follow the Spirit’s lead and embrace the Spirit’s enlivening impulses. We can see this internal transformation as the fruit of the Spirit develop within us (things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).
However, it would be misleading to say that the Spirit is solely for our inner transformation, as if God’s Spirit living in us has no external impact. Our inner spiritual life is not the end goal of the Holy Spirit’s work (though that’s not a bad start!).
God’s Spirit in us is intended to lead us into a world that is hurting, broken, and adrift. Followers of Jesus are called to be people on a mission, in the world, for the sake of God’s Kingdom. What does this look like? We can tell the Spirit is working in us when we begin to use our spiritual gifts to build others up, when we are actively serving others, when we share with others what God has done for us, when we “turn the other cheek” or “go the extra mile,” when we share generously, when we welcome the unwelcome, and when we love those who are not easy to love.
The Holy Spirit isn’t merely interested in giving us a spiritual makeover. Our lives are not some spiritual black hole into which the Spirit enters but never comes out. Rather, the Spirit enters into us and transforms us in such a way that we go and live lives that honor God. May we radiantly respond as the Holy Spirit leads us out into the world for a life of service to others and bearing witness to the goodness of God in Christ Jesus.
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