For me to truly live on purpose, I need to stop and Consider. 1 Samuel 12:24 says, “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you.”
When I was younger my Mom had a rule. If we were getting a little angry, frustrated, or upset, she would tell us to count to 10. Now, sometimes I needed to count to 20 :o) but, her plan made sense, and most of the time it worked. It caused me to stop, think things through, and approach the problem with a new perspective.
Fast forward to a few years later (well maybe more than a few)…this idea makes a lot of sense to me now. I’m not necessarily talking about counting to ten, but as you’re faced with things that may upset you or throw your day in a loop, stop, take a deep breath, and consider. Also, as you’re faced with things that aren’t necessarily a problem but just maybe unexpected…stop and consider. When you are given some constructive criticism (hard to take, isn’t it?) what should you do? Consider. When you cross paths with someone that has a need….stop and consider. This could apply to so many things in our daily lives!
It’s easy for us just to react, isn’t it? A day spent reacting to everything that comes your way, is a day wasted and usually a day you regret. By the way, “reaction” is just a quick response of the flesh. Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.” This is a great verse teaching us to stop and consider before we make a quick response of the flesh with our tongues! And Proverbs 29:20 says, “Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him.”
Sometimes it’s all the little things that cause us to react wrongly. They seem to add up so quickly! Sometimes it’s news of a good friend or family member that’s making decisions that aren’t the best. Sometimes it’s seeing your child treated unfairly. Whatever the situation may be, I want to stop and consider before I react.
What are some things that I should consider?
~Am I overreacting? (Is this really that important?)
~Is this the worst thing that could be happening? (Sometimes just stopping and realizing that things aren’t as bad as they seem is just the medicine we need.)
~Is the Lord trying to teach me or another person something through this situation? ( I don’t want my wrong reactions getting in the way of what the Lord would have me to learn or what He is trying to teach others through me.)
~Is this person saved? (Sometimes we expect lost people to act like saved people. Maybe it’s time to pray more diligently for the salvation of this precious soul.)
~Am I putting myself in this person’s shoes?
~Is it possible this person is just having a bad day? (Patrick and I have been working on just giving people the benefit of the doubt. You never know what someone is going through.)
Lord, help me to live each day considering the needs and lives of others. I don’t want to react in a way that doesn’t please you!
Once again, God has spoken (written) thru you just exactly what I need! I am guilty of letting the little things get to me and piling on unnecessarily. I will definitely make it a point to stop and consider..even the little things. Thanks, Kami! :o)
ReplyDeleteI was too tired to comment when I read this the other night, but had to come back and let you know that it really spoke to my heart. This is an area of my life that the Lord has done a great deal of work in, but I still need more. This is another "Heart of the Matter" that I've printed and saved. Thank you, Kami.
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