Lies We Believe, “I Am What I Do” 

June 14, 2024 

When I was a child, I was happy not to work. I enjoyed not working! I could spend a day playing with my toys, doing what I wanted, or have fun with a friend. I loved it! Then I grew up. And I started feeling like I need to be working, pulling my weight. At work and at home, I need to be busy. Sometimes at night I’m tired, but instead of going to bed I think, I need to get this done. I need to do! 

I’ve noticed when I visit people who are sick or in the hospital, they often feel bad that they can’t “do”, that other people have to do things for them. They aren’t used to taking it easy. They never thought they would end up in the hospital. They feel guilty. I usually say, “It would be hard for me too, if I couldn’t do the things I’m used to doing.” 

So often along the way in life we get this idea, “I am what I do.” We begin, as kids, and our identity is not, “I work. I do. That is who I am.” Then we learn to work, which is important, but often it becomes very hard to think of ourselves as anything else than doers! I am someone who does and who has to keep doing without taking a break! 

We can believe that we are what we accomplish. If my boss thinks I’m good, I feel good about myself. And you can pass that along, if my kids accomplish things: get good grades, are good at sports, or are behaving really well, then I’m a good mom. If they screw up, well, my spouse is just a bad parent, right? How many of you would say, “I feel I’m worthy because of what I’ve accomplished?” 

If we’re not what we do, who are we? Well, you may say, “I’m a manager or a maintenance worker, production worker or I’m a teacher.” No, that’s what you do. You are something different in God’s eyes. You are a new creation in Christ. You are the beloved of God. You are a joint heir with Christ. You are a child of the king. 

I’m not saying what you do is not important. It is. But what you do doesn’t define who you are. You are much more than what you do. My friend Dorothy lives in Ohio, and I’ve known her since I was 4 years old! She sent me a letter recently and it was addressed to “Mrs. Maureen Duffy-Guy.” It feels nice that she doesn’t call me “Rev.” To her, I am not just what I do. God loves us and creates us, and we are more than our job, if we’re retired, we’re more than the things we do and get done. 

Have you ever had someone you love became ill and couldn’t do what they used to. And they feel sorry they can’t bring you a soda, or make you something to eat, they can’t watch your kids or mow your lawn. They are sorry you have to take care of them! You felt, about your loved one, I’m just glad to be with you! I’m glad to have you around! You have value to me, without doing anything!  You don’t have to have a job; you don’t have to be doing stuff to mean the world to me! God told the Apostle Paul, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” God’s power is great in us, especially when we can’t do everything. 

If you think you are what you do, you become a human doing, and not a human being. God says you are so much more than what you do. If you think you are what you do, you become overcommitted and stressed. You’re stressed because you do too much, trying to prove yourself. You are doing more than God wants. 

Here’s what Jesus says, in Matthew 11:29-30, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find, what? You will find REST for your souls. Jesus offers REST!  REST would be nice, right? Then Jesus says, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light!”  So many people would say “My yoke is hard, and my burden is heavy!” Because I have a meeting to go to, and activities, and there’s a project at work. And I have to mow the yard. We’ve got to do all these things and we’re overwhelmed because we’ve got too much to do! 

To say yes to our best, we’ve got to say no to all the rest! Does anybody ever make a to-do list? I do. And it feels good when you check something off! But maybe you also need a to-don’t list! You ask God to tell you what you don’t need to do. Then you listen to God tell you, “That’s not for you to do.” “That’s not important.” In the church, we need to learn to delegate. And delegate to younger people, and new people. So often people are willing to help. God doesn’t want us to say, “I’ll just do that myself.” It’s a wonderful thing to do God’s work! We want to invite others to serve God. Instead of doing everything, we say yes to his best, and no to all the rest. 

In James chapter 4:13-14 James says, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” 

James is talking about plans we have for the future. We put off some of what matters most in life, until we do and achieve. We say, “When I make money, then I’ll have a great life.” For us it can be, “When I get financially where I want to be, then I’ll spend more time with my family.” “When I have more time, then I’ll take care of my health.” “When we get the perfect house, then we’ll be happy.”  When we say “when…then…“ we put off what’s most important. Too often it’s, “I’ll do what’s less important first.” And then if tomorrow doesn’t come? We have lots of regrets.  

James’s says ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” You have to figure out what the most important things are, what God’s will is, and pursue those now! Tomorrow is not promised. We’ve got to be free from the treadmill of doing, doing doing. We are human beings. We are God’s children. We can take the time for what matters most.  

My homework for you is to think about, what is a “when, then” you tell yourself, “When I get this, then I’ll..” Ask God what you are putting off that you can experience now. 

Too often we believe the lie: “I am what I do.” Jesus says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light!” You are not what you do. You are God’s child. He rested on the seventh day, and he offers you rest! Most importantly, God can show you what’s most important now. He can help you live a life of no regrets.  Say yes to his best and learn to say no to all the rest. Amen.