Sunday, January 22, 2012

React to the Right Thing

As I was prepping for the High School retreat this last week, a particular thought kept coming up. How much we live in reaction or response to things. It makes sense, really. Scientific sense even. Every action has a reaction. But, I wouldn't leave it just there. No, that's too small for me. I would go so far to say that it's actually in our design. A human pathway for action.

The problem, though, is that we actually don't always react to the right thing. The first thing. Instead, we live in reaction to other things...becoming active victims of life. Of course, in saying so, I have no intention of belittling the hurtful experiences that we have had. I've just been so aware that those painful moments weren't meant to drive our subsequent choices to the degree that they often do. Ones that lead us to insulation, hiding, bitterness, judgment, over-reaction, hatred...

Instead we should go back to the first thing. The first true thing. We were designed to react...to love. Divine love specifically. And that reaction...that response...was meant to create a solidity of soul, a strength of heart and an overflow of great compassion.

I've been trying to remember this as stuff comes my way lately. I just don't want to live in reaction to the lesser things anymore. I definitely want to consider them, but I won't be run by them. I'll be run by a response to love.

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