The Doing

I just left a conversation where a teaching by another pastor was referred to. The teaching's point: our lives are the sum of what we do. In other words, what we do counts. I know it doesn't sound or read as very revolutionary, but there's meat here. James brought this out. Faith that works is faith that works. In my past, this would rile me up like a boot in my backside, but these days it serves my thinking in new ways. Nowadays, it is pure hope. When I'm frustrated or at a loss, I can always DO something. There's hope in the doing. 

I know, for someone like me, great care needs to be taken here. I've been sometimes justly accused of being a "human doing" instead of a human being. Nevertheless, what a simple source of hope action is. One can always take action. We learn this in the military. There's always one more thing you can do. This is why you usually don't hear pilots of crashing planes screaming when the "black box" recording is played back. They've been trained to keep trying to do something. They die working on the problem. Sometimes, too, they don't die. Sometimes the last thing tried works and the plane doesn't crash. 

There's hope in the doing.

Vision and Information

Many people seek more information about something they feel a calling to. Education is seen as the key to progress. Excess information and education, however, often turn out to be fatal to vision. I have often watched this cycle: 1)Someone gets hold of something God wants them to do; 2)They research it, which, because of the availability and amount of information and education available today, becomes a time-consuming task; 3)They get mired down in a high volume of information, education, and options; 4)The process looses steam. It's hard to do one thing to help one person when your mind is full of information about people all over the world who need all kinds of help. Having too many options is paralyzing. 

I've found that sometimes it's fear that inspires a quest for more information. If you have a call on your life, respond by seeking action first, not information. You don't need to learn more to obey God. You will learn as you obey God. Be more afraid of not starting than of making mistakes. I write this not for people who are wondering about career choices, but more for people like myself, who are all set to "do something" for God. Sometimes, I feel stuck because there is so much to do. If I'm lost in options, I have to stop, go back, and hear again from God with a will poised to respond immediately with action. If I'm chasing more information like a dog chases his tail, I have to get my eyes back on Christ and off of my tail! Courage comes in the doing, not in the planning. Education is not a replacement for character. There are times when gathering more information is merely a form of procrastination.