There’s a time to simply put our heads down and get a job done. And wearing our heart on our sleeves in these moments can hinder the mission we’ve been called to complete. At the same time, we miss the rich fullness of life when we attempt to live merely as robots. There’s a time to do and a time to just be – experiencing and sharing our deep heart with each other.
Naturally, during the first half of life we tend to focus more on the doing.
We’re learning skills, building careers, establishing our families and the like. And, to be sure, there’s a lot to be done in our external world and there’s little room or luxury to explore the deeper waters of our heart.
And, for the most part, we can do this for years and feel satisfied that we’re accomplishing our goals.
But in time, we either sense there’s more to life, or our life and relationships demand more of us, and we must discover who we are beyond the many tasks we complete. We must discover a deeper part of our soul and very being.
For many, this seems like uncharted territory completely foreign to the way we’ve done life. And it might even seem like a waste of time and energy when we could be getting so much other stuff done.
But this becomes the Work to be done to truly live life to the full.
Discovering our inner world and the deep movements of our heart is not to give up our willingness to act and make an impact for good in the outside world. But it is learning how to integrate deeper feelings, meaning, and purpose into our action.
In many ways, these are flip sides of the same coin: doing and being. And we must engage both to fully become and accomplish all that God has called us to be and to do.
Work hard to do all that’s yours to do. And don’t forget your work of becoming as well.
Photo by Aejaz Memon on Unsplash
