There are times when a weighty problem or pressing situation dogs your heels. It’s easy to lash out and react. Equally, soaking up the thought in a brain-fuddled gel of cells will not always get you the correct answer nor lead to an adequate response.
I’ve come up with three aspects of this moment.
- Take an account of your world before considering the weight of another’s.
- Make space for your private thoughts before letting others hear your agony.
- Two ears, one mouth… Listen more than you talk.
I was considering the frantic response during war events. Pick on the original words, or let Mike Tyson give his take.
- No battle plan survives contact with the enemy: This quote is attributed to 19th-century German military strategist and field marshal Helmuth von Moltke.
- “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” ~Mike Tyson
It’s like this: When the load is heavy, the mind is spinning, and you’re unsure of your next step, pause. Don’t get pushed into anything, even if it’s the “right” thing or the inevitable solution.
Every moment requires your best response, but often,
that response is dampened and eludes how we react. ~Me…
Been there. Experienced it. Done that. And it’ll happen more before I take my last breath.
Not everyone thinks quickly on their feet!
I was thinking of Jesus, who is often confronted. Demands need to be met, ears need to hear, and destinations need to be reached. But when he was blindsided when he was expected to condemn someone caught in a sin, he stooped and scratched words on the ground [P-A-U-S-E-D.] I know there’s a back story here. At the same time, there’s a surface interpretation we sometimes fail to acknowledge..
This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.
But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them,
“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
(John 8:6-8 NKJV)
My Thought: Today, I promise to give myself time and space to think and consider before reacting to the moment. How about you?
On the other hand, we know there are 40 sides to any situation. Others need the equal space of a pause before we expect a response. Give. Take.
Pause. Then respond.
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(Below, you may find other topics similar to this one. Please read on!)