Reaction

I struggle with a lot of things in life. Like I have said repeatedly life is hard. I have come to the realization that what happens to you is life, how you react to it is who you are.

I have reacted, over reacted, and failed to react at every possible wrong time in my life. I have reacted out of anger and hostility, when the reaction needed at the time was a kind word. I have lashed out violently, where there should have been a gentle touch. I have done nothing, while I knew I should be standing up for someone. I have allowed people to feel unloved from my lack of any reaction at all.

What I failed to realize is that in this life how you react is more important than what happens to you. What happens to us is how we grow, how we react is how we see how far we’ve come. It’s also how the world sees us and knows who we are.

I heard today “reaction determines your reach”. That hit me hard, it never crossed my mind but how you react can limit or increase your audience. When we think about how we react and react out of love and not anger our audience grows. When we use the love God have us to deal with the situations people from the outside will see God through you. When we are slow to anger and more willing to give love people are going to be drawn to you like a magnet. When we love like Jesus did we can reach the whole world.

Lord today let me be willing to react not out of my feelings, but out of the Holy Spirit. Let the troubles of this world be my triumphs for your glory. Let people see you through me. Amen.

I love you.