My previous post focused on the beauty of BE. This one will address DO—actions that follow the insight we gain in those BE moments.

How do you decide what you will do today? Make a list the night before? Take a few minutes in the morning?

There are as many ways to organize our time as there are days in the year, yet why is it so many of us climb into bed at night with a sense we missed the mark? We tell ourselves we didn’t do enough, or we didn’t do the “right” things. Yes, we checked off stuff on the To Do List, however, it feels like we could have done better. “To know what one ought to do is certainly the hardest thing in life. ‘Doing’ is comparatively easy.” [Marie Mitchell]  How true.

Choosing what to DO is not about being right or wrong. It’s about listening to our thoughts and feelings—BE—in order to discover how we are to spend our precious time, and yes, our one precious life.

The fact is our thoughts and feelings can be rooted in God’s Truth, or they can be rooted in our wounded, ego-based self. Knowing the difference can unlock our hearts to leap into action with peace and joy, even and especially when the task at hand may be challenging or difficult.

So why is it so hard for us to pause for a moment [or a few] to listen?

We’re not sure what we will hear.

We’re afraid the best action will require time, energy, or some other kind of sacrifice.

We don’t want our true motivation to be exposed—the why of what we do.

Let’s go deeper.

We’re not sure what we will hear.

Fear of the unknown can impact many aspects of our life. If our inner ‘voice’ is really about our need to control circumstances, even people, why would we want to know our inmost thoughts and feelings, especially when we sense they may contain a Truth that makes us uncomfortable.

Example:

The name on the caller ID on the phone belongs to someone with whom my last conversation was less than pleasant. I’ll choose to ignore it because I have no idea what they want. Better safe than sorry goes the thinking. Yet what if the caller wants to reconcile?

We’re afraid the best action will require time, energy, or some other kind of sacrifice.

It’s one thing to be in the midst of a task and not want to be interrupted, however, might that line of thought and feeling have more to do with our agenda, apart from another’s needs or concerns?

Example:

There are undoubtedly occasions when we need to stay the course with whatever we are doing at the moment. On the other hand, how often do we use “I don’t want to be interrupted” as an excuse to avoid a person—child, spouse, friend—who needs our time and undivided attention?

We don’t want our true motivation to be exposed—the why of what we do.

There are lots of reasons why we do what we do. Nonetheless, how many times have you found yourself doing something—anything—to fill the minutes and hours in order to not have to think or feel, especially about those people or circumstances that make you uncomfortable?

Example:

Without a doubt, each of us have certain non-negotiable commitments: doctor appointments, job, spouse, or children. Yet how much of the day remains apart from those responsibilities? Do we really want to fill that time with stuff that is meant to impress others, or fill a need to be seen or heard? Motivation. The why of what we do.

What we choose to do is directly tied to the results or excuses we live out on a daily basis. If we tend to do apart from much thought or an awareness of the thoughts and feelings beneath that doing, the outcome of our actions will prove unsatisfying, if not in the short term, in the months or years that follow.

The beauty of our DO, based on discovering the truth about what we are thinking and feeling at any given moment is to BE empowered to take action in ways that are rooted in God’s love and Truth. And isn’t that what we who call ourselves Christians hope to DO?

Am I comfortable/uncomfortable listening to my thoughts and feelings?

Am I afraid that having that awareness will ask of me time, energy, and commitment?

Can I allow God to show me the “why” of my actions?