Action

I've been looking for a church for over a year now. I've been trying to find a stable full-time job since I graduated college. I've been trying to figure out what to do with my life for many years. And through all this time I've contemplated, searched, deliberated and prayed.

So mostly I just thought about it a lot.

There is a value in thinking. Thinking before you speak is a very wise thing. Meditating before making a big decision is prudent as well. But only for a time. If we all thought over everything until we were completely, utterly sure without a shadow of a doubt, we wouldn't move from the spot we were in for the rest of our lives.

I think that's been a factor in my recent life. I have thought too much. I've sat and waited for God to come out and go, "Surprise!" and then my life would move to the next step. I consider things, over and over. There's no movement, there's no flow. I'm, more or less, a stagnant pond. The water's there, but nothing's doing.

And God has really been pressing me lately with one idea, Action.

Do.

Stop sitting there thinking about it, go out and actually do it! How many times have you heard that? Its almost cliche. But for some reason it never really sunk in. I've thought about what kind of church I'd like to go to, scrutinized the ones I've visited, but while I was there... nothing. It wasn't until someone said to me, "Ethan, you need to stop looking for a church where you feel comfortable and start looking for a church where you can serve."

Whoa. All that thinking and that had never crossed my mind. So you know what? I'm moving now. I'm helping out with the Christmas service for the church I've been attending, and I might play drums for worship. I helped mom lead worship at the last Emmaus Gathering, something I was totally not comfortable with. Instead of grabbing a notepad and pondering over it for an hour, I just started writing the book. Start the project, have the conversation, give the money, kiss the girl. Just do.

Action. I believe God will guide the moving. To step out in a direction praying it is the right one, and then let God push whichever way he prefers. But he can't guide something that isn't moving. You can't tell a rock which way to go, and walls don't take direction very well. I have to move, I have to keep going. I just have to go out and do. Win or lose, at least I'll be accomplishing something.

Thinking is very wise, but Action begets life.