being and doing

Opening Prayer: O Lord, my God, I get so busy doing all of the things that I “need” to do every day, that sometimes I lose touch with who you have called me to be.  Help me, O Lord, to only do that which helps me to become more and more who you want me to be.  Amen.

Scripture: Psalm 37:3-8

Journal: What is the tension between doing and being in your life right now?  Are the things that you are doing on a daily basis helping you be who God made you to be?

Reflection: By far the most frequent question I am asked in the course of my dealings with people and their souls is: “What can I do to be more connected and intimate with God?”  It is always a bit of a tricky question, because they are really asking is: “How can I do my way into being?”  And as soon as we start down the road to doing, it is almost impossible to then find ourselves in the land of being on any kind of consistent basis.  

     But maybe Psalm 37 provides some insight.  Psalm 37 tells us that we have to find things to do that actually help us to be. We have to find things to do that have a being quality about them.  For instance, “Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.”  Or, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  And finally, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”  When is the last time you tried to dwell, or enjoy, or delight, or be still, or wait?  All of those are things to do that strangely enough involve non-doing.  It is the collision of doing and being, because how can I truly enjoy God, or delight in him, if I never hold still long enough to give him my full attention.  I guess that’s why they call these spiritual practices, because they help us practice (do) a way of life that encourages us to live (be) at attention. 

Prayer

Closing Prayer: Help me, O Lord, to dwell and enjoy and delight and be still in you today. For that will make me more and more who you have called me to be.