Action

I like action.  It is a whole lot better than doing nothing.  It is a necessary ingredient to any and every problem.  One must act.  One must decide.  One must choose.
 
I still find myself longing for action.  I want to win, achieve, accomplish the impossible.  With failure I have learned something a good friend has continued to remind me of.  Letting one’s self choose, decide, and act is critical.  It doesn’t automatically follow that you will move a muscle, utter a word, and even give a signal.  At times the best choice is silence, waiting, or simply listening.  Sometimes just being is the most powerful for of action.
 
The comment crosses all disciplines.  As I listen to a jazz singer let the silence amplify and tell the story I sensed a lesson unfolding.  As I watched Captain Picard of the Starship Enterprise listen and think during a crisis, far longer than anyone normally would wait, I began to grasp the wisdom.  Even as I watch business leaders reflect and wait, I could sense the power of this type of action.  The depth of God’s instruction to simply “be” is only apparent when one musters the courage to actually plunge into the experience.  Watching the process is incredible.  Great music, extraordinary leadership, decisions which defy circumstances. 
 
I hear yet I still find myself struggling to say nothing, just be.  I read in amazement, wondering how “the three men were silent.  They said nothing, for the king had already commanded, ‘Don't answer him.’”  (Isaiah 36.21)  Could, would I be that disciplined?  Am I willing to let the Spirit instruct, lead, and inspire?
 
Today is a day for action!  We are called to engage.  The times demand our attention.  The opportunity and time is now!  It is also a time to listen – to be open and aware of the Spirit.  The Spirit’s voice will guide.  The call – for you and for me is clear; compassion, mercy, and community rule!  What happens next is the stuff of hope.  I’m in.  The invitation is open for you and to all.