This thought is still in embryo so bear with me if it at all seems unclear or vague-
It seems we live in an age when being busy is the standard to measure up to. We must always be doing something. And not only that, but make sure to broadcast it to the world and our "friends" on Facebook. If we don't have our schedule filled from dawn to dusk we must be missing something or are lazy. If our kids aren't involved in activities to the point we're always scrambling to get them places and working out complex plans for vehicle use and scheduling we have too much time on our hands.
Whatever happened to simply being? Why must we always do, do, do? Of course, we tell ourselves "It won't always be like this. Things will slow down eventually." And of course, they don't, because a conscious decision is never made to make it happen. That was my problem in college and in recent years. Do this, do that, accomplish this, accomplish that.
But God didn't say
Do things, and know that I am God.
He said
Be still and know that I am God.
Yet, even in trying to know God, we try to do. We put in hours of study, we think, we reason, we read, we debate, discuss, always doing. But what about simply being? Now, all these things have their place: we ought to study, and do hard thinking, and reason from the Word. But God is not interested in simply being analyzed. He wants to be known, truly known, by you and by me.
The titles of two songs I am listening to right now just struck me: Bist du bei mir (Be thou with me; J. S. Bach), and Abide with me (Henry Lyte). Incidentally, both the titles mean the same thing. Note that the titles do not say, "study me" or "do things for me". Simply, "be with me".
Perhaps we ought to value that hour of simply being - praying, meditating, listening, contemplating - even more than the one day full of doing.
It seems we live in an age when being busy is the standard to measure up to. We must always be doing something. And not only that, but make sure to broadcast it to the world and our "friends" on Facebook. If we don't have our schedule filled from dawn to dusk we must be missing something or are lazy. If our kids aren't involved in activities to the point we're always scrambling to get them places and working out complex plans for vehicle use and scheduling we have too much time on our hands.
Whatever happened to simply being? Why must we always do, do, do? Of course, we tell ourselves "It won't always be like this. Things will slow down eventually." And of course, they don't, because a conscious decision is never made to make it happen. That was my problem in college and in recent years. Do this, do that, accomplish this, accomplish that.
But God didn't say
Do things, and know that I am God.
He said
Be still and know that I am God.
Yet, even in trying to know God, we try to do. We put in hours of study, we think, we reason, we read, we debate, discuss, always doing. But what about simply being? Now, all these things have their place: we ought to study, and do hard thinking, and reason from the Word. But God is not interested in simply being analyzed. He wants to be known, truly known, by you and by me.
The titles of two songs I am listening to right now just struck me: Bist du bei mir (Be thou with me; J. S. Bach), and Abide with me (Henry Lyte). Incidentally, both the titles mean the same thing. Note that the titles do not say, "study me" or "do things for me". Simply, "be with me".
Perhaps we ought to value that hour of simply being - praying, meditating, listening, contemplating - even more than the one day full of doing.
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