What to do with “do no harm” and “do good?”
I expected by now to have completely forgotten my challenge to do no harm and to do good but these have remained at the forefront of my mind (at least periodically). As with much in life, the beginnings of something new offer both a romanticized adventure and a burst of specialized energy to do that which is purposed. Now I periodically get chided by my children, sometimes half-jokingly, about the harm I am doing and I even occasionally chide myself.
How is it that the Lord saw fit to give us so much potential to do good AND so much potential to do evil? It seems to tie with the James 3:1-12 reading for this week wherein we are commanded to be reticent about choosing to be teachers since teachers are charged with helping people make informed and faithful decisions. We are also warned about the dangers of the tongue, of speaking in ways that do damage to one another. How often I let my tongue fly with biting words which leaves me regreting my having done harm. I keep giving it a try but I am still convinced that having a means of being held accountable is vital.
Add to the do no harm bit the do good and I seem all but sunk in various moments. It is not simply enough to sit idly by, avoiding evil but I must engage life to do good. Doing good requires I pay attention to my world just as much as doing no harm does. I need to be aware enough of my surroundings to catch the opportunities as they offer themselves to do good. Sometimes I’d rather just pass by instead of doing good. Doing good requires me to get involved, to invest some time, to not pass distractedly by. And where I seem quite capable of doing harm merely in my brain, good requires something more than good intentions. UGH! Doing good seems about more action; doing no harm can merely involve my thoughts.
Back to working on this in life for now…
