{"id":1732,"date":"2011-09-28T01:00:16","date_gmt":"2011-09-28T05:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=1732"},"modified":"2011-09-27T19:15:30","modified_gmt":"2011-09-27T23:15:30","slug":"to-be-or-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/09\/to-be-or-to-do.html","title":{"rendered":"To be or to do"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m not telling you anything new.\u00a0 God wants us to be and then we will do.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t that God is against\u00a0doers<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>However, he knows that\u00a0doers<\/em>\u00a0become rigid and Pharisees, pointing\u00a0a finger at everyone who doesn\u2019t live up to our standards.\u00a0\u00a0Or we become lazy and guilt-ridden Pharisees, requiring others to do what we have failed to do.\u00a0 Therefore, God goes after our hearts and requires us to be.\u00a0\u00a0\u2026to be\u00a0witnesses \u2026to be my people \u2026to be the children of God.<\/p>\n

Of course, we all have our TO DO lists.\u00a0 We place them in our top shirt pocket so that they are easily accessible.\u00a0 They are positioned in our day-timers, iPhones or Androids at the top of the calendar page.\u00a0 We may hold them in our minds, rehearsing them as we go through the day.<\/p>\n

Years ago, I was challenged by Chip Ingram, the radio and TV teacher, to make a TO BE list.\u00a0 You see if you become something, then you will do it automatically.\u00a0 I don\u2019t need a list to be a mother.\u00a0 I am a mother.\u00a0 \u00a0My list on how to do\u00a0wife<\/em>\u00a0would be much too long.\u00a0\u00a0My husband is\u00a0content for me to be\u00a0his wife.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Driving down I-95, I listened and God spoke to my heart regarding this list.\u00a0 Ingram was gracious enough to give some examples from his TO BE LIST.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember what they were but I was inspired to make my own list as soon as I got home.<\/p>\n

My list contains 13 things.\u00a0 These are things that I know God wants me to be and things that I want to be.\u00a0 They are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. a woman of God.<\/li>\n
  2. a wife.<\/li>\n
  3. a person of prayer and the word of God.<\/li>\n
  4. a friend to my child, grandchildren and all people God puts in my life.<\/li>\n
  5. a pastor.<\/li>\n
  6. an evangelist.<\/li>\n
  7. a giver.<\/li>\n
  8. a person who is physically and mentally fit.<\/li>\n
  9. a hostess.<\/li>\n
  10. a writer.<\/li>\n
  11. a choir director.<\/li>\n
  12. a teacher\/preacher of God\u2019s word.<\/li>\n
  13. a gardener.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For more than a year, this list became part of my devotions.\u00a0 I would rehearse them each day.\u00a0 Some of them were simple.\u00a0 Number\u00a0two was:\u00a0\u00a0To be a\u00a0godly, kind, gracious and wise wife who loves unconditionally.<\/em>\u00a0 Number\u00a0eight was:\u00a0\u00a0To be a\u00a0person who is physically and mentally fit.<\/em>\u00a0 Others were pretty intricate.\u00a0 Number one:\u00a0\u00a0To be a\u00a0woman of God who lives in integrity and love so others will see Jesus in me and desire God\u2019s grace.<\/em><\/p>\n

    I am not a gifted evangelist.\u00a0 In fact, the joke in all the churches where I\u2019ve held positions has been,\u00a0 \u201cIf Linda invites them, they WILL NOT come.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0If someone else could get them there, I could almost always keep them because I knew how to be a pastor.\u00a0\u00a0However, I\u2019ve always desired to be an evangelist.\u00a0 I wanted to be able to easily\u00a0lead people\u00a0into a salvation experience.<\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t get me wrong, I have\u00a0helped hundreds of people\u00a0into\u00a0a saving relationship with Jesus\u00a0but I am acutely aware that this was not one of the gifts God gave me.\u00a0 Yet, it\u2019s always been something I wanted to be able to be.\u00a0 Therefore,\u00a0number six on my list became:\u00a0\u00a0To be an evangelist who is able to lead people to God\u2019s unconditional,\u00a0<\/em>agape\u00a0love and salvation.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    Another thing that I knew needed to be was my number 10:\u00a0\u00a0To be a writer whose works are able to bless many people.<\/em>\u00a0 One of my gifts\u00a0is writing.\u00a0 However, I had let that gift languish for too many years.\u00a0\u00a0During the past few years in my sleep, I\u00a0would occasionally dream\u00a0that\u00a0someone else was taking care of a boy child that God had given to me.\u00a0 When I would awaken, I always knew that this was my writing.<\/p>\n

    I felt that the time had come for me to begin writing again.\u00a0 But I needed an outlet and a purpose.\u00a0 I wanted to write about Special Gathering, which is a ministry within the mentally challenged community.\u00a0 Again, I wasn\u2019t sure how or where to begin.<\/p>\n

    For the past five years, God has allowed both of these heart-dreams on my list to come into being.\u00a0 The\u00a0specialgathering weblog<\/em>has opened interesting doors for my writing.\u00a0 Daily, I require myself to be disciplined enough to make an entry.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had 10 magazine articles published.<\/p>\n

    In addition, the Lord has led me to become a part-time chaplain at two local restaurants.\u00a0 I am able to share the love of Jesus with these wonderful young people almost daily.\u00a0 These are truly heart-dreams that\u00a0God<\/strong>\u00a0has allowed to come into being.<\/p>\n

    This is the difference between the TO BE list and the TO DO list.\u00a0 It moves us from the requirements of the law into the grace of God\u2019s loving purpose for each of us.<\/p>\n

    Have you ever thought of starting a TO BE list?\u00a0 What are your dreams?\u00a0 Do they belong on your TO BE list?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I\u2019m not telling you anything new.\u00a0 God wants us to be and then we will do.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t that God is against\u00a0doers. However, he knows that\u00a0doers\u00a0become rigid and Pharisees, pointing\u00a0a finger at everyone who doesn\u2019t live up to our standards.\u00a0\u00a0Or we become lazy and guilt-ridden Pharisees, requiring others to do what we have failed to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,40,186,49,16,4,41],"tags":[21,688,696,7,699,715,701,57,6,700],"class_list":["post-1732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-prayer","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nTo be or to do - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/09\/to-be-or-to-do.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"To be or to do - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019m not telling you anything new.\u00a0 God wants us to be and then we will do.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t that God is against\u00a0doers. However, he knows that\u00a0doers\u00a0become rigid and Pharisees, pointing\u00a0a finger at everyone who doesn\u2019t live up to our standards.\u00a0\u00a0Or we become lazy and guilt-ridden Pharisees, requiring others to do what we have failed to…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/09\/to-be-or-to-do.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-09-28T05:00:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-09-27T23:15:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/09\/IMG_0089-e1317163210359-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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