Black & White Series: Pt. 1 Do vs. Be

Black and white Series


Series Introduction 

Not all things in life are as simple as black and white, right or wrong, do or don't do; however, some things in life are, and I want to take some time to talk about some of those things. Let's journey together...

Do vs. Be

All of us in life are trying to find a place to belong, a place of acceptance, significance, assurance--this is normal to mankind. 

Let me begin with a question: are you searching for a place in life to belong, significance, and assurance? I would propose to you here that we are. The question is, how are we going to fill those needs within our life? In other words, how are we going to find ourselves? This is the question of the hour, and I believe for our generation. As I look around I see people trying to fit in, find themselves, and make themselves important to be accepted. 

We will go to great lengths to fill these needs: we join a political party and adopt their views, or we will practice religion, or we leave home with the thought, "I will find who I am and make myself somebody in the world," or we do certain things with friends--things we would never do on our own--in order to fit in. I'm am wondering, what happens to you at the end of these things? Will you really find the you that you were looking for? 

What am I getting at? 

With all of those things that I described above you have to do something in order to belong, be accepted, significant, and assured. What if you could just be and find all of those things without having to work for them? This is the difference between doing and being. 

Ask yourself, are you able to just be you in the circles you live in? 

If you answer no to this question, then you are having to do something in order to fit in, which at that point your belonging there is conditional. People living in conditional environments will never rise to the full potential of who they are. 

Truth is, we were first made to be before we could ever do. My son, who is now two, does not know how to do anything for my wife and I, he only knows how to be. I often wonder if we have lost the ability to be--lost the ability of childlikeness within our life. 

So, what's the answer? 

From my experience, doing in order to find a place of belonging, significance, and assurance never works, because in doing I am always required to perform, which can be void of anyone ever knowing me. How long have you worked with someone and never have gotten to know them? So, we all need to find a place where we can just be. That place for all of humanity, since the age of time, has been within the Father's arms. I'm not talking about religion, I'm talking about you being a child--no matter how old you are--and God above being your Daddy. 

I haven't done everything in life, but I've done a few things: was in the Marines for eight years, serving within churches, or employers I found that I had to do in order to belong. All the while I was searching for home--a place to belong--I was looking for a Daddy, and he found me. Father God, the one who created you in your mothers belly, has a place for you to belong, a place that you can rest from your doing and realize the fullness of who he made you to be. He's calling you by name into be with him. Won't you trust him and be with so he can show you who you really are? 

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