Thinking brings clarity, but it’s not the same as doing. And formation requires us to put into practice the things we know, and not just ponder them, however insightful they might be otherwise. These are flip sides of the same coin. We remain in the dark without insight of where we are, but also when we fail to take a step forward.
A runner becomes a runner when he runs. Of course, having a desire and conviction to run precedes this. But these thoughts alone do not make him a runner. He’s only a dreamer until he actually picks up his feet to run.
And all too often we simply admire the virtues we see in others, and can even make a strong case as to why we should adopt them ourselves, without fully embodying the virtues in our daily life. But these thoughts cannot shape us into the men God has called us to be until we put them into practice.
Courage becomes courage by doing courageous things, just as loyalty becomes loyalty by being loyal when it matters. In the same way, we become men of faith by living by faith.
On the one hand, we need to name our desires and have a clear sense of God’s calling for our life. Action without this clarity often leaves us spinning our wheels; all our hard work bears little fruit when we’re blindly barking up the wrong tree.
But it’s a dead faith when we’re not also picking up our feet to run as it were. Clarity is important, but it does not replace meaningful action. And it’s as we move that we gain even more clarity. The more a runner runs the more evidence he has that he is indeed a runner.
Where are you mistaking clarity for change? What do you know, but still don’t do?
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
