“I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions.”  ~ Dorothy Day

Actions speak louder than words.

I’ve learned this in my personal and work life.  The people I count on are not the ones who tell me what they can or will do, but the ones who actually do it.

We all learn to count on those who consistently follow through.

I’m sorry if this doesn’t sound very spiritual, though I’m sure there are spiritual applications.

In reality, when some people are faced with self-sacrifice in order to serve someone else, they choose themselves, letting the other person down.

I’ve learned in life to adopt a wait-and-see attitude when folks tell me their great plans for something.  Of course, I’m hopeful that these things will actually pan out, but many times it is just talk.

And here’s a spiritual application: God’s dreams aren’t fulfilled, His house isn’t built, just by talking about it.  At some point, we have to give up our time, our comfort, or whatever, and give ourselves over to spending time with and developing relationships with the Lord’s people and with Jesus Christ Himself.

The Apostle James said that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26).

It is not meant to be all talk.  The Lord’s life leads us to action – to act on behalf of the good of others.

Please know that I don’t want to make anyone feel guilty – but following Christ will tend to take us out of our comfort zone if we allow it.

As we enter the Christmas season, we also remember and celebrate God’s defining action on our behalf – coming to us as a human being to define and express an invisible, misunderstood God. 

Follow the Life!

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