Good morning…
After the longest night sleep I have had for a while, I opened my journal as usual. Two words formed two lists. On the left side of my blank page I wrote REACT in bold letters. On the right side I wrote the single word RESPOND. Then I allowed various words to cascade into place.
REACT – Fear. Anxiety. Worry. Anger. Raw emotion. Impulse. Fiery. Dump. Panic. Spew. Rage. Knee jerk. Short fuse. No filter.
RESPOND – Stop. Breathe. Give God space and time to work. Silence. Solitude. Slowly separate feelings, thoughts, and actions. Put God in between myself and the crisis. Intimately interact with God rather than the person or the situation. God is an ever-present buffer. God offers stable peace. With God in the middle, I am infused with the same powerful Spirit raising Jesus from the dead. Focusing my inner eyes on Jesus, I watch the fruits of God’s Spirit quietly expand from within. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. The Holy Spirit permeates me. God fills me then overflows, touching others, spreading faith, hope, and love.
REACTing is all me. RESPONDing is all God.
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing. Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, here’s what you do: say nothing evil or hurtful; snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth. God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well… (1 Peter 3:8-12a, MSG).
My constant daily prayer becomes, “God, please do You through me well.”
…Sue…
