"The longer I live, the more I'm convinced we were addressing the wrong question. What we want to do is not nearly as important as who we want to be. Doing is about the tangible—salaries, prestige, achievements. Being is about the intangible—character, integrity, identity. It's about the kind of people we are.
I've come to the conclusion that, spiritually speaking, one of the easiest things to do, ironically, stems from one of the hardest things to be. Sounds confusing, but it isn't. I'm talking about prayer.
Prayer is easy to do, because it involves something that happens every day: talking. But prayer that matters to God stems from our being men and women of prayer. Paul's command, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17), requires an attitude of prayer—not a chatterbox personality. What's more, Peter explains that when it comes to prayer, being comes before doing: "Be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer" (1 Peter 4:7)....Becoming consistent in prayer won't happen overnight, but that's the difference between doing and being. Doing can be recorded in a yearbook and is usually forgotten. Being is recorded in a "life-book" and is forever on display. "
That's actually a good way to say what I've been trying to focus on this year.... I do want to learn to BE a person of prayer, rather than just DOing it.
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