Doing Nothing

For me one of the hardest things to do in life is to "do nothing."

I'm a "doer." Tell me what I can do, and I'll do it. Show me something to do so I won't be bored, and I'll do it. What needs to be fixed, and I'll fix it (that's another blog altogether).

Simply put: I don't do well with boredom.

Along with disliking "doing nothing" I am impatient, but I guess those characteristics go hand-in-hand.

On the surface, this characteristic of "aggressiveness" is appreciated in the military. However, in the rest of life it's not very productive, and can actually be destructive.

One of my favorite Bible verses is, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

I think this is my favorite because when I've exhausted all possibilities then God will take over. But, I'm pretty sure in my seven years of being an ordain minister that's not how it's supposed to go. Perhaps we are weak and weary because we are doing things, never sitting still. Perhaps we are playing God in our own lives...

Maybe it's a "control thing" where we want to desperately control something, and by "doing something" we believe that our actions will give us control.

To borrow a quote from the book The Shack, "It is your desperate attempt to get some control over something you can't. It is impossible for you take power over the future because it isn't even real, nor will it ever be real. You try and play God, imagining the evil that you fear becoming reality, and then you try to make plans [read "do something"] and contingencies to avoid what you fear."

I guess "doing something" can never be "right" or "wrong," but it is the reason behind our actions. Why are we doing? Should we be "doing" or should we be "doing nothing?"

Friends of Bill W have it right, "Let go and let God."