Doing Good...

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:9-10)

      Wouldn't it be nice to get paid for the work we do as we do it? If there's not already an app for it, an app could be made that would allow you to monitor your bank balance minute by minute as you went through the day. Wouldn't it be nice to be paid for the value you add to your company instead of a small percentage thereof?  And wouldn't it be nice to do the work once - to spend one day at work and to be paid for the rest of your life for it? As wonderful as these sound, few of us expect such things to happen. We get paid less than the value our work brings to our employer, as long after that value is produced as the employer can manage and  with no residual income.

      Still, somehow we think it wrong that when we love, we are not quickly repaid in kind at the same level with residual benefits. We may not admit it, but it bothers us when we feel our love is "unrequited."  The problem is that it is the nature of love to give without payment. That is the sort of love that God shows to us. Nothing we do can earn His love. It is not something we are owed, and yet He gives it.

      The reality is that God is omnipotent. Most of the time, I wouldn't even claim to be potent. We tend to be weak. We give up easily. In our mission to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves, we get tired. We get overwhelmed. Then Paul has the audacity to tell us "do not grow weary in doing good." Well, that's what we are: weary.

      One of the mistakes that we make is in our definition of "do good." We have a tendency to think it means "do everything." We have to do everything, give everything, be everything, accept everything, be responsible for everything.... This is not doing good. Except as a special gift or favor, doing for others what they can do for themselves is not doing good. It's not loving. It's teaching them to be irresponsible. They don't have to do it, you will. It can weaken them. It can teach them that you don't think them capable. Sometimes, loving means doing nothing. Sometimes, loving means requiring that others fulfill their responsibilities or face the natural consequences of not doing so.

      Here is another aspect of doing good. It's hard to do good if you're exhausted, injured, sick or otherwise weakened. Part of the "airplane safety speech" that no one listens to is the instruction for parents to put oxygen masks on themselves before they put them on their children. It's hard to help your children if you pass out or die from lack of oxygen while struggling with a panicking child. Doing good requires that you take care of yourself first. Find out how much sleep you need it and get it. Learn to eat and exercise correctly and in accordance with your body's needs. This isn't about your looks. It's about being strong, flexible and healthy. Enjoy things in moderation (which probably means in smaller portions than you think it does.) Give up things you know are harming you - I know how hard that is. Learn to breathe deeply with your body. 

      Above all else, in order to do good, you must stay in touch with what is good. An ember removed from the fire is a big piece of ash whose main benefit is as fertilizer. It is only when it is in the fire that it  gives off warmth. You cannot expect to keep doing good if you are separated from other sources of goodness: God, Christians and Christian organizations, others and other organizations that do good things. Find ways to "put on your oxygen mask" in your daily life. Listen to something that gives you "clean air" in the car as you travel between activities. Keep a  book of "oxygen" with you for breaks. Take the time to write notes that will be a breath of fresh air, and put them in your lunch and everyone else's. Stop listening to music that depresses or angers you, and start listening to music that inspires you. Learn to breathe deeply with your soul.