Last updated on June 9, 2020
It’s all about the beat. Or rather, it’s all about being in sync with the beat. Researchers at McMaster University found 14-month old infants, after being bounced along in sync with a researcher moving to a musical beat, were significantly more likely to demonstrate unselfish behavior than infants who were bounced out of sync (Cirelli, et al. 2014. Interpersonal synchrony increases prosocial behavior in infants. Developmental Science, 17(6)).
The infant was held by an assistant and faced the experimenter, while the experimenter moved up and down, bending at the knees in time to music. The assistant bent her knees either in sync with the experimenter, or completely out of sync with no relation to the musical beat, as shown in this video.
After the music, the infant was set on the floor, and the experimenter “accidentally” dropped a small object nearby. The in-sync infants helped the experimenter by picking up the object 50% of the time, but the out of sync infants only helped 34% of the time.
If we are in sync with God, our actions and our lives will be based on a desire to help and focus on others. If not, we focus on ourselves. And we all fluctuate back and forth between being selfish and selfless. Paul describes this conflict in Galatians 5 as a struggle between our sinful nature, or “flesh,” and living by the Spirit. Focusing on ourselves leads to a laundry list of self-destructive behaviors, including “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (5:19-21).
But if we are in sync with God and living according to His precepts, the evidence is obvious, which Paul refers to as the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (5:22-23).
To demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit requires conscious and purposeful action on our part to keep our selfishness in check. All of those attributes focus on other people, not ourselves. But it’s a struggle going against your own nature. Like the infants, I find myself helping others maybe 50% of the time, if I’m honest and lucky.
Which is why we cannot overcome our sinful nature without the power of the Spirit helping us, which helps us demonstrate Christ’s love to others. To tap into that power, we need to “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
How in sync are you with the Spirit?