It’s not really that
uncommon…we know the problem; we know the answer and we know how to accomplish
a solution but…we find ourselves frozen with uncertainty and anxiety. We do
nothing…which is often more destructive than doing something, even if it’s
wrong.
This happened to
Jacob’s sons. The famine that Joseph had predicted materialized and spread
across the Fertile Crescent. Jacob’s family was hit just like everybody else.
The son’s apparently responded by doing nothing…even though they knew Egypt had
plenty of grain. Why didn’t they pack up and go down there?
Their dad asked the
same question…
Big problems often
immobilize us. One of our children has an addiction problem and we do nothing.
We know we should get involved but maybe we don’t want to “rock the boat”. Our marriage is disintegrating…but we sit and watch
TV. Our company is “down-sizing” but
we just can’t seem to go out and look for work. Maybe this is why Nero “fiddled” while Rome burned…he couldn’t
think of anything else to do.
Action implies a
couple of things. First it implies the existence of a problem. Second, it
implies a responsibility for the problem. So, we freeze up: We don’t want to
admit there is a problem (somebody might
say it’s our fault) and we don’t want to be responsible for it (somebody might say things were fine until we
got involved).
It’s certainly a
spiritual problem… of sorts. Our spirits are afraid to take action or are too
obtuse to recognize the need for action. Jacob’s sons may have starved without
their dad waking them up to the dilemma. At least they listened.
We have a heavenly
father who regularly prompts us. Are we listening?
Live boldly out there today…
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