Do or Be?: Weekly Message for 01-30-2024

Dear Friends,

“What must I do?”(Lk. 10:25). This question, perhaps phrased a bit differently in colloquial terms, pops into our heads quite often. Especially in our efficiency-driven culture, we want to know what to do and the best way to do it. We are evaluated on our performance, and we often evaluate ourselves. In terms of doing God’s will, we also assess ourselves according to what we do.

Some weeks ago I met with a group of ladies, and we talked about being joyful in adversity. Experiences and ages varied, but we all had one thing in common: each of us faced adversity on one or many levels. Some had more experience, others were just starting out. This same question came up: What should I do? What is God asking me to do?

The answer we kept coming back to was this: There are times when He isn’t asking us to DO anything. He only wants us to BE His. Sometimes there are concrete things to do, a clear path to achieving a goal. Other times there is no clear path, or even perhaps no path at all: sometimes there is in fact nothing that can be done. In those times, it is enough to just be.

Go back to the deepest truth of your existence: you are His. Your very being glorifies Him if you let it, because He created you to glorify Him. He has you present at every moment, and He cares for you. “Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin, but I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them” (Mt. 6:28-29). The wildflowers glorify God simply because they are wildflowers, and He takes care of them. He will take care of us as well.

Your Friend in Christ,

Nicole Buchholz