I just returned from a 6 week sabbatical. Never had one before. But I knew I needed one…some intentional time to relax, hear from God and get recharged. When asking for the sabbatical, I told my Board of Directors that I would continue to charge any hill that they asked me to because that’s what I DO. I’m a DOER. But I needed something more than a DO list… I needed joy and renewed vision.
They were gracious in giving me the requested time away. I promised to be intentional with the time: seeking rest, seeking God and seeking direction for our ministry.
I consulted a counselor, my pastor and others who were “seasoned sabbatical-ers” to help bring structure and intentionality to my time off. If you ever want to chat about any of that, let’s do coffee some time.
I earnestly prayed and asked the Lord to give me a new “DO” list that I could share with the Board and staff. The more rested I got, the more eager I got to get back to work and DO more.
In the middle of the night as my sabbatical was about to end, I woke up thinking about the passage in James where we’re instructed to not just HEAR the Word, but DO what it says. Kind of an odd first thought in the middle of the night. Then God began to speak to my heart about HEARING and DOING. He said that it is wrong to HEAR and DO NOTHING. Then He said that it is also wrong to DO without HEARING.
Lightbulb moment for me. I always thought God was pleased with my DOING….because wasn’t that the point of James 1:22? I don’t think so. What God was clearly saying to this DOER heart was: You don’t please me when you simply DO. You please me when you HEAR me, then DO what I’ve said. That’s obedience.
In this intense season of trying to discern my new “DO” list, God clearly said: “DO nothing until you take the time to HEAR me first. He was clear. He didn’t want me to continue to simply DO. He wants us to HEAR then DO. HEAR then DO.
So, my challenge for you (and for me) is to not settle for the DOO DOO. It’s easy to DO. But let’s commit to DOING more……more listening THEN more doing what He says.
And by the way, since committing to listening more, He has had some amazing things to say and some pretty exciting challenges to DO! We can chat about that over coffee too!
Sandi Brown
General Manager, 99.1 JOY FM & BOOST Radio
sandi@joyfmonline.org
