"Don't Just Do Something"
Excerpt from Exodus 14:9-25
"But Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.'"
Reflection by Felix Carrion
We have heard it said, "Don't just sit there, do something." The message here is get busy; don't let this moment pass you by. When those who love us tell us this, they are desperate for us; they believe in us, they know that there is kinetic power in our moving.
There is also an assumption that within us lays the fight, the momentum to make something happen. There is reliance here on the power of human utility, human ingenuity, human daring, human know-how. We think that as long as we are moving, we are of some worth to ourselves and others.
Then there is another saying that holds as much power and vitality, but in our industrious way of life almost sounds offensive: "Don't just do something, sit there." This saying assumes that that there are limits to our fight, our human utility; that if not checked, our industriousness will get us into trouble. Our activity needs pause, needs observation, of the kind that demands stillness and humility. Here we begin to understand that the fight is not always ours, that the doing is not always ours, that the understanding is not always ours.
To let God be God in our lives requires a stillness of exceptional defiance. Stillness, contrary to what many think, is hard work. There are moments to forge ahead; and then there are times to sit and wait for God to reveal what lies ahead , what will be the outcomes of our reliance on God. The moment will then surely come when God will say to us, "Get up and get going."
Prayer
O God, grant us the wisdom to know when we are to "do something" and when we are to "sit still." Either way, you are at work in and through us. Amen.
Excerpt from Exodus 14:9-25
"But Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.'"
Reflection by Felix Carrion
We have heard it said, "Don't just sit there, do something." The message here is get busy; don't let this moment pass you by. When those who love us tell us this, they are desperate for us; they believe in us, they know that there is kinetic power in our moving.
There is also an assumption that within us lays the fight, the momentum to make something happen. There is reliance here on the power of human utility, human ingenuity, human daring, human know-how. We think that as long as we are moving, we are of some worth to ourselves and others.
Then there is another saying that holds as much power and vitality, but in our industrious way of life almost sounds offensive: "Don't just do something, sit there." This saying assumes that that there are limits to our fight, our human utility; that if not checked, our industriousness will get us into trouble. Our activity needs pause, needs observation, of the kind that demands stillness and humility. Here we begin to understand that the fight is not always ours, that the doing is not always ours, that the understanding is not always ours.
To let God be God in our lives requires a stillness of exceptional defiance. Stillness, contrary to what many think, is hard work. There are moments to forge ahead; and then there are times to sit and wait for God to reveal what lies ahead , what will be the outcomes of our reliance on God. The moment will then surely come when God will say to us, "Get up and get going."
Prayer
O God, grant us the wisdom to know when we are to "do something" and when we are to "sit still." Either way, you are at work in and through us. Amen.
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