>Why is it easier for me to study than to reflect? I intend to do some reflective writing about my life and end up looking up some tangential topic and writing about that. I intend to spend some time meditating on a passage in the Bible, and end up doing a word study of one of the phrases. I intend to be, and I end up do-ing. I think that’s it. It’s much easier for me to do something instead of just being still. My default setting is behaving as a human doing rather than as a human being. At work, having a bias for action has served me well. It helps me to keep the end in mind, to produce, to follow through, to get ‘er done. It’s a task focus, and much of my work-life is all about the tasks. But work life and LIFE are not the same; life is more than just doing “one damn thing after another.” (Elbert Hubbard)
Human life is about living as a human, about being human,about living as one made in the image of God. The highest name for God in the Bible is YHWH – usually written as LORD in English; it’s most basic translation is “I am.” God is being, eternal existence, ultimate reality … life. As my friend Mark says, Jesus didn’t say, “I’ll show you the way. I’ll point to the truth. I’ll model a good life for you.” Instead, Jesus declared, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life.” In his essence, Jesus is life.
See! What did I tell you?! … My ADD– A Desire to Do — kicks in and I’m off on a tangent about the nature of God. R e l a x … B r e a t h e … Turn back to the thought at hand. (more…)