Act Not React

I can remember as a child getting caught off guard when something bad happened to someone around me - like a finger getting smashed in a door.  For some inexplicable reason, I would have to stifle a nervous giggle.  Now I knew that would be so wrong to laugh when someone got hurt, but there was this sudden reaction that came from somewhere inside of me.  Has that ever happened to you?  Even as an adult we sometimes have instant emotional reactions to situations that as we look back on them, we shake our heads and say, "Oh no, I sure wish I had not done or said that!"

Imagine how the servant girl, Rhoda, felt when Peter came to the door after miraculously escaping from prison.  Acts 12:13-14  He knocked on the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it.  When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, "Peter is standing at the door!"  Our first response is "What was she thinking?? Leaving Peter standing outside when his very life could have been in danger!"  That however was just the problem; Rhoda was not thinking.  She was reacting emotionally to a sudden and shocking turn of events.  No one expected to see Peter at their door.  After all he was in prison ..... wasn't he?

Acting without thinking is a classic human characteristic.  It takes great discipline to learn to think before we act.  An old saying that I heard many times growing up was "Put your brain in gear before your mouth!"  I must admit that I am still guilty of reacting sometimes instead of acting.  As a young parent, I was so grateful for the advice of Dr. James Dobson from Focus on the Family which simply stated was, "Never spank your child in anger.  Always always wait until your own anger with them or their behavior has dissipated before you hand over the discipline."  I can remember a few trips to the grocery store with three little boys under the age of 4 that ended in mommy quietly taking them out of the store, buckling them into their car seats (yes, three car seats!) and saying very calmly, "You will be getting a spanking when we get home for your behavior in the store."  Then taking them out of the car at home, and individually, privately doling out said spanking to whomever was deserving.  They knew I was disappointed in them, and upset with their behavior, but they also knew that I loved them.  Hugs always came after the spanking with a discussion of how to avoid this in the future.

How wonderful it would be if we learned to respond to God in our lives with this same thoughtful deliberation.  When God shows up in our lives, it often catches us off guard and like a sudden flash flood, we get swept away with a wave of emotions.  If it is a hard situation, the emotions can be dark and overwhelming.  If it is a positive yet totally unexpected happening, we can get caught up in the worldly ramifications of the event.  For example, let's say that you have been looking for work - pretty common occurrence right now.  All of a sudden out of the blue, a job offer comes.  We are so ecstatic about the opportunity to work that we accept the position without thoroughly researching the company, the job or ~ hello there! ~ asking God if this is something He wants us to pursue. Instead, we say something like, "Well, this must be God!  After all, I need a job and here it is!"  I have learned that not every "blessing" comes from the Lord.  The enemy loves to put carrots in front of us that look like, smell like blessings, but in reality they are a distraction from the direction God wants us to go.

How then do we respond to a move in our lives?  First remember that you are rooted in the Word of God.  Not every wind that blows in your life even if hurricane force will or should uproot you.  Consider how you are nurturing the tree of your spiritual life.  Are your roots constantly seeking to go deeper or are you being watered by that shallow insufficient rain that keeps your roots on the surface?  What is causing you to flourish and what kind of fruit are you bearing as a result?  These are critical questions that we need to be considering before the winds of change blow through our lives.

Once the wind of a movement begins to blow, be still and stand strong.  Ephesians 6:10-11  A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  If God wants you to move forward - or in any direction - He will instruct you.  He does not want the enemy guiding us on our journey.  He wants us to follow His plan for our lives, not the adversary's.   Will He allow us to make a misstep?  Of course.  Remember we have free will.  If we choose not to listen to Him and follow our soul and flesh, then He will step back like a gentleman and allow us to do just that.  But He will continue to fight for us against the adversary.  He will not give up but will instead wait until our ears are open to hear, our eyes are open to see.  

Acting instead of reacting takes practice.  It takes resolve.  It takes commitment.  It takes faith and trust in Him.  We must believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that His plans for us are so incredible we cannot fathom how awesome they are.  Stand fast on Jeremiah 29:11-14  For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord.  "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.   I will be found by you," says the Lord.  "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes.  I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."  These are the promises of a God who loves us, a God who sacrificed His only son so that we may have life and have it more abundantly.  That is worth standing still and watching for the red or green light, don't you think?