Cause and Defect

Have you heard of a Karen moment? If you have you already know what I am talking about…if not well a Karen moment is when someone is caught in an epic moment of over reaction.

We have all seen these moments

However recently Crickett and I witnessed just such a moment in one of our favorite places to eat. Crickett and I were sitting in our both going over the menu ever though we already knew what we were going to eat. When all of the sudden I witnessed a couple out of the corner of our eye making a huge scene.

The male Karen was shouting and quite frankly trying to intimidate a much smaller and younger female server. The server was doing a great job remaining calm even though this much bigger and loud mad man was making his case.

The Couple eventually got up to leave yelling all the way out of the door that they could not understand why they were being asked to leave becuase the staff could not help them…then..... the man came back into our sections and raised his hands to get everyones attention and stated....I just wanted you all to know that this establishment has called the police on me for this can you believe it?…then he stormed out of the restaurant.

Now we go to this place weekly…so the staff knows us well and we just asked what could have possibly triggered such a reaction?…

When we were told it totally made sense... The reason they made such a scene is they were told that they could not substitute an appetizer of Onion Rings as a side.

Right? I mean the nerve of depriving these people of their onion rings…wow!

Of Course I am joking…In fact overreactions of any kind never reveals much about the situation one finds themselves in but it does reveal a lot about the people that are overreacting.

Our Actions rarely tell the whole story of our faith, but our reactions clearly do.

(Sunday after Church is the least favorite time for servers)

Jesus has a lot to say about how His followers are to react to the world we live in.

Matthew 5:38-42

“38 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.

Explain this is about insult not physical violence....

40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.

If you lose a little give more than expected

41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

This was humiliating and very hard to hear....imagine if another Country had invaded and were occupying your country and it was the law to serve them....Jesus says serve them well

42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.”

None of this was popular.....It gets worse....

“43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

Jesus still wants this to be our reaction to opposition…the only real enemy to Christ followers satan himself. loving our neighbor and our enemies is what separates followers of Christ and Followers of the world.

45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

This is fruit of the Spirit…this is how people know we are children of God.

The World was created for everyone…light is available to everyone…if we love only those we agree with there is now reward for hat .

46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.

48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

This verse is not about being perfect in the sense of getting everything right…it is about treating others perfectly as our Fathers treats us perfectly. Perfect Love covers offence and leads people to salvation.

Paul if it were possible to sum up these verse in one phrase…(It’s not but I am going to take a chance to here....

Reactions to Adversity should be seen as opportunities to make a Positive Difference in the world.

Understanding this will change the way we approach every situation we find ourselves in. Instead of reacting in a way that elevates our needs Paul is telling us to react in a way that elevates Jesus.

Even if you are not a Christian elevating others not only makes them feel bette but benefits you as well.

Many of you probably may have heard that actor Leslie Jordan died in a one car accident this week. He was not leading actor mostly support roles and if you google him many of you wold recognize him.

I saw a short clip of him presenting a talk on success to an acting class. He said that he used to approach auditions thinking about how important it was for him to get the part.

Then when he got the part he focused on how the part would elevate his status if done well but despite all of his work and worry he was not what he deemed a success when compared to other actors....

He said his spiritual advisor suggested that instead of focusing on himself maybe he could try to serve those he worked with.

Instead of asking how he could stand out start asking how he could help others stand out. This changed both his view of success and it helped him stop comparing his career to others…This attitude also made the difference in his career…from that moment on work was steady and fulfilling.

The only way for us to make sure that our reactions lead to opportunities to make a difference is to allow the Holy Spirit train our hearts and minds by learning a living close to the heart of God.

Reactions are not controlled by our emotions or even our mood. Our reactions are determined by the choices we make based on what we allow to control our thinking.

I was on scene of our Cities recent tragedy as a Chaplain. Part of my job aside from simply being available to to observe the situation. Paying close attention to clues of people really struggling emotionally during these horrific events.

As I was waiting by the police tape praying I could see in the face of every single FF the pain and shock of what they had just witnessed. Yet even though they were hurting emotionally, spiritually and physically instead of shutting down like many of us might have they moved forward.

They did not hide their pain but instead of giving into evil they pushed through in the best possible way....What allowed them to do this?

The answer is simple…their training was so through and so good that they were able to maintain the highest degree of professionalism in a situation that people with no training would have denigrated into a puddle of despair.

In short their reaction to adversity was born out of their training and commitment to serve and protect the citizens of Broken Arrow.

Our reactions to adversity are a direct reflection of our Spiritual Preparation.

Are your reactions?:

Angry or Understanding? Knee Jerk or Thoughtful? Retributive or Redemptive? Hurtful or Loving?

We all have a default setting to how we react to issues in our lives. This is most evident in how we interact with those we are most familiar with.

This week you if you want to start looking for ways to make a difference in our world you should start with your world by taking an honest look at your reactions to small issue with those closest to you.

How do you handle when the leave dishes in the sink, how do you act when they don’t make the bed. How do you react when you feel like you are not being valued?

Become aware of your reactions and choose to transform one small negative reaction to a small positive reaction. One small step at a time.

If we cannot react perfectly (the way God reacts to us) with those we love it will not be possible to react perfectly to the larger adversities of the world.

It is:

The unscripted moments of our lives often leave the greatest Impact on the World

What are your reactions revealing about your faith?

Doug to pray and Communion