“A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them.” (Proverbs 29:11)
Every day, around every corner we can encounter an event, circumstance, or person that demands our attention. When we do, we are given a choice. We can either react to the situation, or we can respond to it. So what’s the difference between the two? A reaction is usually quick and without much thought. It can easily be tense and aggressive. But a response is generally thought through, calm, and non-threatening. Reactions usually do not accomplish anything, because they provoke anger, frustration, and have the potential to throw fuel on an already raging fire.
Whether we react or respond is not shaped by the facts of our experiences in this life, but by the way we interpret those facts. In other words, the way we interpret life shapes what we do and say in life. Our problem is that we tend to place life’s events into one of two categories – good or bad. The things we like and enjoy are of course good. But the things we do not like or enjoy are automatically thrown into the bad category. Generally when something is heaped on the bad pile, we feel our blood pressure rise and our emotions wad up in a ball. THAT is when our brains lose all sensibility and we react, and Lord help whatever comes out of our mouth.
I believe reaction is a result of our selfishness. We react because we are afraid that what we are experiencing might harm us or at the least bring us some inconvenience. But responding comes from a willingness to wait on God in order to gather all the information and clarity we need regarding a situation.
It would be good for us in any given situation to stop and think about what God wants for our lives from what we are experiencing. Remember – what we call good God may actually consider bad for us. And what we call bad God may actually consider good for us. It all depends on how we allow God to interpret the facts for us in any given situation.
Darlene
“A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them.” (Proverbs 29:11)