When I Finally Decided To Do “Nothing”
Recently, I refinished a 120-year-old rocking chair. Not surprisingly, it had its challenges. Screws were rusty, the wood was weathered and cracked, the seat needed reupholstering, and when I took it apart to sand, I wasn’t sure I could put it back together. It was the first piece of furniture my husband and I bought as a married couple decades ago. It was an antique then. We used it with our babies, and it eventually made its way to his home office, where he sat every day for his Quiet Time for several years before he died.
And then my daughter told me she wanted it for their about-to-be-born second baby, and I wanted her to have it if I could fix it up. Sure enough, I finished it, shipped it, and baby girl, Emi, has already been rocked on it.
Despite this story of accomplishment, my goal-oriented nature can be both a strength and a weakness. I can obsess over an unfinished project that is calling my name.
One unfinished “project” I have been facing came when I sensed God wanted me to get to know my neighbors and start a Neighborhood Bible Study. And so, I tried!
Over the last few years, since moving to my new neighborhood, I have delivered homemade bread, Christmas cookies, Easter baskets, and invitations to church events. I even hosted a Christmas tea and tried talking to neighbors while walking my dog. Unfortunately, my efforts yielded few tangible results. Only two of the many women I invited showed up for the Christmas gathering, and this year, one neighbor even turned down my cookies!
Honestly, I was discouraged and about to make an unusual decision to quit. But then, near the end of last year, I was perusing the NBS2GO website, and I noticed a “learn more” tab under the heading of PRAY FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS.
When I clicked on the tab, I read this: “Prayer is the first and most important step of the process. God has uniquely placed us, and we have an amazing opportunity to pray for our neighbors.” It goes on to suggest several “hows, whats, and ways” to begin praying. The Holy Spirit immediately convicted me. I was pressing ahead, getting to know my neighbors in my usual goal-oriented way, without asking God to move in their hearts in advance. The Spirit was reminding me that no matter how good my cookies and bread tasted, it was His work that caused people to be hungry for a relationship with Him or even with me, for that matter.
Connecting with my neighbors must begin (continue, and end) with prayer. In fact, instead of giving up the idea of a neighborhood Bible Study, I have decided to “do nothing” until I have done the one thing that is the best thing—pray with intention and consistency, then wait for God to open the doors. I can’t wait to see what He does!
