Do More Than… Philippians 4:4-9 7/25/2004

Last week at the end of the sermon I shared the following thought for the week:

    Do more than exist… live!

    Do more than touch… feel!

    Do more than look… see!

    Do more than hear… listen!

    Do more than talk… say something! (J. H. Roades)

As I was thinking about this it seemed like a great idea for this week’s sermon.

To exist is to get up each morning – do the day’s activities – go to work – eat our meals – watch TV – make money – pay the bills – and go to bed at night. The pattern is then repeated and repeated. That’s existing! Living on the other hand is immersing ourselves in life. It’s celebrating that there’s a new day before us – filled with infinite possibilities. It’s being aware of our surroundings – smelling the coffee – looking at the stars – sleeping in on a Saturday morning or getting up early and hearing the birds. It’s enjoying – appreciating – all that is around us and cherishing it. It’s relating to other people and allowing them into our lives. Living is being willing to love – even if on occasion we get hurt. Living is being ourselves and letting others be themselves. To really live is God’s gift to us and our gift to the world.

I struggled with this one for a long time, going on to the other sayings and then coming back to it. For me both touch and feelings are important parts in how we express ourselves. Touch is a vital life-giving force that brings healing and love… that shows warmth and concern. We all need to be touched in healthy ways. Negative touch destroys trust and bruises lives for a long time. Positive touch creates beauty, brings wholeness, and unites us with another. Loving touch is vital to our growth and well being.

Feelings are also vital to us as human beings. To experience the whole range of emotions from anger – pain – sorrow – to joy – love and peace give vital meaning to our lives. Feelings kept locked up inside of us cause destruction. Feelings expressed to a trusted friend, partner, family member provide intimacy and validate our humanness. We all have feelings. That is one of the most important things that connect us together. Healthy expressions of our feelings lead to wholeness and growth.

We look at a lot during the course of any given day. We have the capacity to take in a lot wi6th our eyes. To see is to be aware of the beauty that’s in a flower or another human being. To see beyond the surface – the outside appearance – and really see into a person’s life. Their joys and sorrows, to see the gifts they are as individuals. To appreciate their life’s journey as a person.

Have you ever looked at a 3D [Magic Eye] image? It looks like a bunch of colors or fuzzy shapes, but when you focus and really look you see a beautiful scene or flower or mountain. To really see we must focus not only with our eyes but our attention on the other person. We might really be surprised at what we see. A beauty that lies within a person.

As you go about your week look at all that is around you – and then look a little more and see God’s gifts of creation – in the people you meet – in nature – in the ordinary things you look at every day. See God in the eyes of the homeless… those who are hungry – you will [see] Jesus.

We are a culture that is bombarded with sounds: music – TV – our voices – the voices of others. It is a gift to listen to the silence. To get away to a quiet place of make a time in our day just to sit and listen – to really listen for God’s voice – to listen to ourselves – our soul. It’s amazing what we can learn about ourselves when we embrace the quiet and listen. Have you ever had the experience of listening to the birds, the wind, the raindrops, the leaves rustling in the fall – the snowflakes in winter? There is comfort and healing when we listen.

The other part of listening is when we are in conversation with another person. Not just hearing the words or thoughts, but listening with our full attention. Not thinking about how we’re going to respond but giving the other person our attention as we really listen to what they’re saying. How they feel and think are important to us in the words they’re saying, in the ideas they’re expressing, and most importantly in the emotions they’re sharing. To really listen with our full attention is a gift we can give another and is a gift we each deserve.

I could get myself in real trouble with this one, but it’s amazing what can come out of our mouths. Words can be used to say some of the most wonderful things – to express love and compassion – to share what’s on our hearts. Words can be used to express very profound thoughts and ideas that can change our world.

On the other hand words said in the heat of the moment, words said out of great hurt, or words spoken without thought can wound another at their core (center… soul). Gossip, second hand information and words that tear down another can cause as much harm as using a physical weapon. Words have power to be used for good or ill. Words empower us as we speak our truths – like when we’re coming out to another person. Words can be used to express our most intimate thoughts and desires. Words can be used to express our needs and to tell our stories. We all want to be heard – to know that our words mean something to another person. What we say and what we don’t say speaks volumes.

May we always use our words to lift up others and to empower the best that is in us.

I would suggest as our homework this week to pray about which of these areas we need to grow in – that we need to experience more fully.

    Do more than exist… live!

    Do more than touch… feel!

    Do more than look… see!

    Do more than hear… listen!

    Do more than talk… say something!

As we live, touch, feel, see, listen and say something may we experience God’s blessings. Amen.