James 1:23-25 -- On Forgetting Ourselves

"For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."
James 1:23-25


This is an interesting analogy, comparing doing the will of God with knowing ourselves. I feel the truth of it when I remember the difference between sincere and fervent prayer and rote or hurried prayers. Perhaps part of it is sincerity and true, heartfelt belief, but those things are also part of who we are, of knowing ourselves.

When we take God less seriously and are just going through the motions we can justify it to ourselves because we are busy or tired or whatever else, but while those things might be true, isn't it also true that we are too busy or tired or whatever else to truly live as we believe... to match our souls with our physical selves and do what we believe we should do? That doing is what makes us into our ideal selves... that work, that etching of the truth slowly into our hearts and minds with practice and committment. If we take a day off from God, we take a day off from our selves, settling for less than we could and should be.

That isn't to say that we can become perfect all at once or that we should beat ourselves up when we fall short. Trying to make small, incremental improvements is important so we don't lose heart. But God can and will strengthen us as we try, and perfection, while not yet attainable is always something to keep in mind, so that we remember who we are working to be, and that God isn't asking us to do any of this frivolously or pointlessly. He is helping us learn salvation and joy and become everything we have ever wanted to be.

Today, let's remember who we are, and that we are children of God, with infinite potential. Let's work to do as God asks and walk his path, not just because it's a theoretically good path, but because it leads to everything we want, and because it is where we truly want to go. Let's connect our love of God and our desire for joy and peace together, and apply all of that to the little decisions we make each day. Let's try to do small things for God, and as we do, we'll slowly become stronger and more faithful and able to do greater things and to feel more of the Spirit, and to feel and see God's hand in our lives more strongly.