"...that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you
to be..." Ephesians 3:16a
Now before you get your undies in a bundle I don't mean to accuse or start an argument. I only want to draw attention to a reality in which we live. We are what we do. But, honestly, this doesn't necessarily line up well with having more of God. Does it? And that's what we're after. Right?
The summer we took our son, Andrew, to freshman orientation at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana I was introduced to a Scripture meditation method called lectio divina, or sacred reading. In our parent orientation session two veteran Taylor parents led us through Paul's prayer for the Ephesians in chapter three.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from
whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you
to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your
inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may
have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is
the breadth and length and height and depth, and to
know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19
It was actually quite straightforward and profoundly simple in its approach. Read a small passage of Scripture, listening carefully for what word or phrase stands out. Then read the passage again, slowly, methodically and listen again. Were you drawn to the same word/phrase or something different? Read it again. Ask the same question. Now ask the Spirit to reveal what He is trying to speak to you.
The word revealed to me was surprising and incredibly convicting. Of all the words available in that passage God sought to draw my attention to the tiny word "be." My initial response was "That can't be right!" Yet when I listened through the passage again "be strengthened" didn't fit and I wasn't drawn to anything else. The third time "be" was the obvious word I was to pay attention to. I started to quietly cry. My entire life was a flurry of doing. I had been raised to be a doer, and I took great pride in that. It was humbling to have that rug pulled out from under me. As I continued to listen it was as if God were gently whispering into my soul, "All I've ever wanted for you is to just be...with Me." The truth of that washed over me and I felt a torrent of tears leak from my eyes. I'd spent so many years doing in order to gain favor with the Lover of my soul. And here He was, telling me all that activity was essentially futile. He just wanted me to be. Period.
I think that if I want more of God I need to "do" less and "be" more. I am reminded of Luke's account of a dinner that was hosted by a set of siblings who were particularly close to Jesus. God often draws me back to this story. It's probably because I have such a propensity to focus on doing. The story picks up in Luke 10:38. One of the siblings, Martha, greets Jesus and welcomes him into her home. Like me, she wants everything to be perfect for her dear friend. She rushes around in a flurry of doing, cooking, serving and making her guests comfortable. At some point she recognizes that her sister Mary is sitting quietly before Jesus, hanging on his every word. She becomes indignant. I can relate to this. It's frustrating to be alone in your doing. And don't we often feel alone in our doing? She approaches Jesus and demands that He correct her errant sister, even going so far as to accuse Him of not caring! Yikes! Unfortunately I know this hits way too close to home! And haven't we all been here at one point or another? We are often lauded by those around us to do more. And so we do. But Jesus is about to show us a better way!
Jesus' response to Martha is full of so much kindness and yet reproof also. He shows that he cares so much for her and invites her into a better reality. He doesn't compare the two women as I know we have a tendency to do, assigning judgments of one kind or another. Rather He invites Martha into relationship with Him as well. "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42) Don't miss this! If you do, I fear having more of God will be elusive if not impossible. One thing is necessary. Mary isn't doing the one thing necessary. She has chosen merely to be. Be present. Be listening. Be engaged. Be close. Be relating. Open to whatever Jesus has for her.
I feel that Jesus would like us to see this clearly. Life is not about what we do, but rather who we are. Or perhaps, even more clearly, Whose we are. We belong to the One who calls Himself "I AM." I believe we would do well to recognize that our identity is found in His reality - I AM. Be.
Today I leave with you with lyrics to another song that resonates with my soul. It is "Breathe performed by Jonny Diaz.
Alarm clock screaming bare feet hit the floor
It’s off to the races everybody out the door
I’m feeling like I’m falling behind, it’s a crazy life
Ninety miles an hour going fast as I can
Trying to push a little harder trying to get the upper hand
So much to do in so little time, it’s a crazy life
It’s ready, set, go it’s another wild day
When the stress is on the rise in my heart I feel you say just
Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe
Third cup of joe just to get me through the day
Want to make the most of time but I feel it slip away
I wonder if there’s something more to this crazy life
I’m busy, busy, busy, and it’s no surprise to see
That I only have time for me, me, me
There’s gotta be something more to this crazy life
I’m hanging on tight to another wild day
When it starts to fall apart in my heart I hear you say just...
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