Something to do

When our boys were young, at the end of the day Linda and I would often ask them, “So what did you do in school today?”
Sometimes they’d reply, “Nothing.” We knew that couldn’t be literally true. They did something, just nothing they felt was notable.

What would you say if your Heavenly Father asked you, “So what did you do today? Did you change the world?”

We’re not always good judges of which actions are significant. We tend to think they have to be heroic deeds that affect thousands. But that is not true.

Recently I heard Pastor Jon Tyson say, “We know everything about that which we can do nothing about and almost nothing about that which we can do everything about.”

For example, we may know a lot about the fires out West, the progress with a Covid vaccine, and who is injured on the Steelers. But we can do nothing about any of them.

On the other hand, do I know the name of my neighbor two doors down? Do I know who is hungry in my area? Do I know which of my coworkers is discouraged or who has wondered about spiritual questions lately? If we knew about these things, we could do a lot about them.

In this information age, let’s beware of Neil Postman calls, “Low Information to Action Ratio” (or, “LIAR”.) Let’s not confuse outrage with action, or information with accomplishment.

It’s fine to be aware of current events, but let’s focus on doing what the Lord has called us to do. We are commanded to love God with our whole being and to love others as ourselves. And we can do something about that today. It may not be a high-profile act, but it will make a difference. As Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” And at the end of the day, that is something.