There can be so many things that we think about doing. Things that we think would bring us a sense of joy, satisfaction, pleasure, and things that would be accomplishments or bless others. How often do we think about good things to do, but never actually do them?
One activity I have thought about doing is driving on the Blueridge Parkway during the Fall foliage in my Miata with the top down. Right now I’m only in the thinking-about-it mode. I’ve thought about routes, time frames, dates, what I might want to take along, how fast I would go…. So you can say I’m caught in the thinking stage of things. I can dream of taking in the beauty and joy of the experience, but I haven’t acted. I’m not actually out there experiencing it.
The blessing of experience is possible only when we take that first step and move out. That one step is the difference between thinking about and doing. This is a distinction that Jesus made as He taught His disciples right after He had washed their feet – a filthy menial task reserved for slaves. But He served them. Think about that – the Creator serving this rugged, self-focused band of creatures by washing their feet. “I have given you an example,” Jesus said, “that you also should do just as I have done to you.” Then came the punch line, “If you know these things, blessed (happy, fortunate) are you if you do them.”* There it is – the joy and blessing of experience versus thinking about it. James makes it clear that if all we do is just think about it (just being hearers) and never do it, we are deceiving ourselves. That would be like me sharing with you my exhilarating experience of thinking about driving the Blueridge Parkway. What difference does it make?
Take action. Take that first step. Who can you bless? Whose feet can you wash? Where can you experience the joy of serving as Jesus promised. Maybe you could bless a young mother by taking her place in the nursery on Sunday. Maybe you could take a colleague to lunch and listen to his concerns about balancing family and work. However great or small the task, take action to invest in others. You will point them to the One who is the point.
Anyone up for a ride on the Blueridge?
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*John 13:15-17
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