Ever notice people say one thing, then act another way? I remember a teacher from high school saying, “Do as I say, not as I do.” On the other hand, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.” The emphasis there, of course, is on the word foolish. So the real question of the day is–do my actions reflect my beliefs? Do I tell people how to behave while behaving in a completely inappropriate way?
I started thinking about this in a “church” context when I chanced upon a series of links to someone while searching the Web for quite another person. This person (female, married) is very much the director of the marriage relationship. She is outspoken (leadership role?) about the potential direction of her local congregation. Yet, what is the belief system of the local congregation that she’s defending? That women do not belong in leadership!
Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, wrote, “O wad a giftie gie us, to see ourselves as ithers see us.” (or something like that) One form of meditation is to take your center of consciousness outside of yourself and watch yourself as on a 3D screen acting in relationship. I’ll tell you, the ability to do this at the appropriate moment can change the way you act at an airline ticket counter or grocery store queue. It will also help you witness your faith more consistently and effectively when you see how you treat others and then act appropriately.
Sometimes I think we get so worked up about how smart we are intellectually that we miss the behaviour part of life. And what does Jesus evaluate us on? Ideas–or actions?
Tags: lifestyle
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