Doing and Being

Wayne Dwyer once wrote, "When you are what you do when you don't you aren't." This tongue twisting proverb contains truth.

Betsy fears that when I finally retire that I will sort of disappear because so much of what I am and who I am is wrapped up in what I do. This seems especially true for men but women are catching up.

So what are we when we are not "doing" something? A moving stone gathers no moss. Idle hands are the devil's workshop. Yea, but there is a reason we are called human beings rather than human doings. So what's the deal?

As with all ancient wisdom the secret is balance. What is the balance in our lives between doing and being? Everything is moving faster now. And after all there is a lot to do but research shows that our spirits and even our bodies grow tired if there is not something "underneath" feeding the activity.

So I suppose on our daily buffet we need some offerings that give us a chance to "be." I remember a friend of mine asking me to do something on a particular day in the near future and I responded that I would be on a retreat that day. He looked and me and said, "Retreat heck, when are you going to charge?"

For everything there is a season...a time to laugh, a time to cry...a time live and and time to die... a time to charge and a time to retreat.
Bless you,
jody jseymour@davidsonumc.org