Say it….Do it!

What is the difference between saying you’re going to do something, and doing it? Sounds silly, right? Yet, on any given day, there is at least one part of our spiritual life that we say we are going to do, but don’t do anything to make it happen.

And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote; therefore, behold, I will again do marvelous things with this people, wonderful and marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hid.” Woe to those who hide deep from the LORD their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay; that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless shall come to nought and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right. Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. – Isaiah 29.13-23

It is easy to say you love God, but it is another thing to live like you love Him. Consider the life of Saint Mary of Egypt as an example. The Church commemorates her today and on the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent. She had lived a life of total sinfulness until one day she “felt a force” that was keeping her from entering the Church of the Holy Cross. This was her wake up call. After begging the Panagia to help her enter and venerate the Cross of Christ, she promised to change her life. She was allowed to enter the Church, and in gratitude to God, she lived the remainder of her life, 47 years, in total repentance in the desert. She said she would, and she did.

Now consider your life. When was the last time you promised God something without doing it? If you’re like me, it happens just about every day, sometimes more than once a day. Is it because you didn’t really mean the words you spoke to God, or did life turn out to be more difficult than you expected? I can’t imagine life was easy for Saint Mary of Egypt, nor has my life been anywhere near as difficult as living in the desert for 47 years.

Don’t fret! Just as God blessed Saint Mary of Egypt, He will bless you. Today’s reading from Isaiah above also tells us that God will “again do marvelous things with this people,” the same people who didn’t do what they said they would do. That’s because God loves us more than we love Him. Maybe we can work on loving God more, but let’s not just talk about loving Him. Let’s actually love Him.

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