But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves – James 1:22
“Avoiding what ails you doesn’t make it go away. It just makes it harder to heal.” This had been one of the lines in an emotionally charged Boston Blue with Mae, seeking to compel her father, Reverend Edwin Peters, to get further tests to address concerns about his heart. She had at one point challenged him to practice—walk the talk—what he preached by reminding him of a sermon he had delivered about regular checkups.
There were two takeaways from that episode: (1) No one is exempt from pride’s deceitfulness. (2) No one is exempt from God’s directives. It doesn’t matter one’s pedigree, social status, or religious distinction; anyone can become susceptible to believing themselves immune to certain matters. This was perfectly illustrated in Reverend Peters’ resistance to the very message he taught his congregants, which is the importance of taking care of your health, God’s temple.
Possibly like me, you too have found areas of your life that need more walking out and less talking about. It’s simply not good enough to tell others what the right thing to do is. It requires becoming a doer, walking the talk.