Overrated Words and Thoughts

"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." -Henry Ford

We cannot come close to counting the number of times we say "I am going to do something" and then never do it.  There's the small things... like saying I'll go to the gym, I'll do my laundry, I'll call my friend, and there's the a little bit bigger things... like saying I'll prepare that lesson for you, I'll pray about that, or I'll tell that person about this or that at some point.  We speak, and so often (too often) forget to act.  It doesn't seem like a big deal after forgetting to act, until we start to think through the possible results of our non-action. 

I said the other day, our actions can and do affect others... and I think this is a perfect follow up to that.  Hear me out, I am preaching to myself on this as well, not to just my readers... absolutely not.  I am so guilty of this issue, and so frustrated by it's reoccurring problem in my life!  But again, I have to take action before it can be fixed.

Yes, the little ones definitely have effects but I wanna go in hard and hit the "a little bit bigger things."  Sometimes we just need a big slap in the face.  Chew on this scenario...(which for me is something I watch occur everyday in myself) you're reading twitter, Facebook, your e-mail, a blog, or however you keep up with the latest 'what's going on news.'  You come across a prayer request of some sort, a plea for prayer... someones in the hospital, a friend is going through a rough time, there's a disaster, whatever it may be.  You may(or may not) stop, let it seep in for a second, think about it... and then what?  Do you stop and pray?... or Do you keep on scrolling and put that on your "mental" to-do list (which you know doesn't exist/work because of the hundreds of other things you've put on there and have failed to do)?  I'll tell you what I do... I throw that prayer right up to my "mental to-do list!"

Why don't we stop and act? Why do we just scroll on through life... oh, so we can sit there and be bored with all the dramatic e-mails we're receiving?  Or it must be the trashy tweets that come up on our twitter?  Or oh, maybe it's the live drama we can watch happen as two people argue back and forth over "comments" on Facebook?  Stop. And think about this, can you agree with the next statement I am about to say? I, am one hundred percent, so guilty of this, and it's shameful to say.

Just thinking about that... brings me back to my overall point.  As I sit here and read that last paragraph of the perfect example of what I personally do everyday, I am already making mental "to-do" list things.  And honestly, that's a burden.  I want to change that... I want to act.

Check this out... 1 John 3:18-20 says, "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.  This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set out hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.  For God is greater than out hearts, and he knows everything."

Let us not love with words or tongue,(or mental to-do lists) but with ACTIONS and truth.  Think about that today, and pray about it. Honestly pray about.  Let's ACT in love all together.
Don't let your reputation be about what you're going to do, but do so that you may have a reputation.

xo, Carly