Dear Friend of Insight for Living:
This summer, students everywhere will think back over the exciting (and sometimes frustrating) years that have led them to the milestone of graduation. As they say farewell, they might also be asked to look into the future and answer the question, "What do you want to do?" Their goals might even be recorded in their yearbooks. I still remember some of the quotes that appeared beneath seniors' names in my yearbook:
"Make a million bucks."
"Finish medical school and have a practice in Honolulu."
"Rob Chase Manhattan Bank and escape to Fiji."
"Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse."
We had all sorts of goals—some admirable, some questionable, a few downright stupid.
The longer I live, the more I'm convinced we were addressing the wrong question. What we want to do is not nearly as important as who we want to be. Doing is about the tangible—salaries, prestige, achievements. Being is about the intangible—character, integrity, identity. It's about the kind of people we are.
I've come to the conclusion that, spiritually speaking, one of the easiest things to do, ironically, stems from one of the hardest things to be. Sounds confusing, but it isn't. I'm talking about prayer.
Prayer is easy to do, because it involves something that happens every day: talking. But prayer that matters to God stems from our being men and women of prayer. Paul's command, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17), requires an attitude of prayer—not a chatterbox personality. What's more, Peter explains that when it comes to prayer, being comes before doing: "Be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer" (1 Peter 4:7).
You may not realize it, but you've probably heard me pray about as often as you've heard me teach. Because God changes lives through prayer and His Word, the messages we broadcast intentionally include times of prayer. We believe that being a people of prayer is as essential as proclaiming God's Word. And one of the best ways to help each other become a people of prayer is by simply praying together.
That's why our Insight for Living team has gathered several of my pastoral prayers into a two-volume collection called The Prayers of Charles R. Swindoll. For your donation this month, I'd love to send you the newly completed second volume. My hope is that it will enrich your own quiet moments with the Lord. You can obtain a copy for yourself—or perhaps a graduate you know.
When it comes to prayer, being requires doing. We must pray! Therefore, I would like to request that over the next couple of weeks, you would especially remember the ministry of Insight for Living. We absolutely need your faithful prayers and consistent financial support in order to continue teaching God's truth around the world.
Becoming consistent in prayer won't happen overnight, but that's the difference between doing and being. Doing can be recorded in a yearbook and is usually forgotten. Being is recorded in a "life-book" and is forever on display.
No one really wants to "live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse." We all want our lives to count. Will you give a donation this month to Insight for Living and join us as we strive to be God's people who do His work?
Together, we can make a difference worth remembering forever.
Charles R. Swindoll
