Reacting Vs Responding: A Practical Day to Day Teaching
Do
you react initially or respond? Discovered when I have reacted,
I am usually in the flesh ... I am not talking about reacting responsibly,
like removing a child out of harms way... I am talking about reacting in
fear or frustration or impatience and the like.... something which breeds
negative energy/emotions/attitudes and not peace and harmony or righteousness,
and definitely not love.
Here is an example: Someone spills a drink or breaks something... have you
ever found yourself reacting in ways such as yelling: "BE more
careful, with name calling"... rather than simply making an
observation with the knowledge, accidents happen, and this was not
intentional.... no big deal ... Followed up by identifying and thus helping
the other person to cleanup an embarrassing moment... without feeling negative
energy, which breaks out as chaos such as: "Don't call me a name... it was
only an accident, Chill." you know, conversation which leads
to a down hill spiral of frustration and the like... which if it goes
unchecked can lead to resentment or bitterness and judgmental-ism... a divided
household... of members who no longer serve one another in/as love....
who are caught up in a cycle of rejecting and being rejected, due to
preconditioning, before they/we were born of the Spirit of God.
For those who are new at walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh... be
encouraged, know as we become perfect (mature) in Christ...
our eyes are opened to our fleshy ways of being, (without condemnation), in HIS
timing and ways. Bless the Lord we are convicted, can repent and
turn to HIM for guidance and power, not previously walked in ... whereby we
learn to respond rather than react.
For some of us this can be hard... because the role model we had growing up was
one where 'reacting' was the norm... but Bless You Father... You as our Father
are raising us in the way we are to go spiritually... teaching us to love... as
You would/desire to love through us. Teaching us wisdom and giving us
understanding.... developing in us patience, kindness, tolerance and other
fruits of the Spirit. Thank Your for releasing us from the role model in
the flesh which use to influence us... to walk in the spirit, reflecting Your
truth, Your nature, it having become our own.
Scriptural
References:
But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are
Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we
live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of
vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
For ye were
sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of
light: (For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and
truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.