Had Any Knee Jerk Reactions Lately?
This weekend’s activities weren’t a knee-jerk reaction. It was well planned to go to Tulsa for my two 77-year old friends’ wedding. How could I miss a sweet love story celebration? I knew I just had to make the trip. I know it will be worth it.
On Thursday, I helped a dear friend that’s going through a divorce move some of her things. Her movers were coming on Saturday. She’s been taking her time on this move because it included a lot of decisions to be made. After prayer, she had new insight about some complications of moving on the weekend instead of during the week. I overheard her talking to a friend who was questioning her reasons, but she told her friend: “Please don’t question my reasons, God directed me when to move!” She was strategizing with God’s wisdom and direction.
These two sets of friends are making some really big decisions and both are seeking God for His direction. There are plenty of times when we all have huge decisions to make. “Should I say “yes” or should I say “no”. Should I stay or should I go?” And there were times when rather than waiting to hear the voice of God, we just can’t sit idly still. So, with a knee-jerk reaction, we GO…..only to realize we put the cart before the horse…er..rather, we put our ways before God’s ways.
What happened to the instruction from our loving, all-knowing Father? ”Be still and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10) But we can’t just sit STILL long enough to get the plan from THE MAN. So we head out on our own. A friend told me she really made a mess of a hasty decision and became quite disappointed in herself. She went to see her Mom and her downcast attitude caused her mother to say, “I know that look! So, you had to be in charge again, instead of letting God be charge?”
We can sure get ourselves into some messes. We make those decisions without consulting God and we forward aggressively. Then suddenly we’re overcome with a loss of peace and a troubled heart. Our “knee-jerk” reaction propels us into unknown territory because we made some regretful decisions.
Here’s what I love about this faith journey we are on. Though we may start out our day as independent, self-willed “can-do” people, and we may get ourselves into some crazy situations that may come as a surprise to us, they are not a surprise to God. In spite of our knee-jerk reactions, God is still our loving Father. And, like our kids who repeatedly do something that we’ve told them a hundred times not to do, we lovingly reel them back in with correction and help them through the mess they got themselves into. That’s how much God loves us too!
God’s character can be trusted. God delights in answering our prayers, but He doesn’t always answer how we think He should answer. I think I have great ideas about how my life should go. I think I know what is best, but then I remember that He knows better. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows what outcome will bring about His purposes. He wants to bless us with good things: health, wholeness, peace, joy, and rest. When I pray and I feel as though He is silent or not letting me in on the game plan, I have to trust that there is a purpose to what He hasn’t told me. He doesn’t hide things from us to hurt us. He will allow us in on His plans in His perfect timing. His perfect timing is the timing that places us at the right place at the right time with what we need for ultimate blessings.
Thankfully, when we’re impulsive and have knee-jerk reactions, our loving Father gently jerks us back on course to help us finish the race we’ve started.