The Inigma of LIfe

Life can often seem complicated. The Apostle Paul mentioned his struggle in Romans 7 where he repeatedly said, "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing." That appears to be a universal struggle among Christians. Time and again we find ourselves wandering from our chosen path of following Christ to following our own base desires. Sometimes it is a chosen action on our part, but more often it is a reaction to some stimulus; either what someone says to/about us or does to us or to someone we care about. In my experience I've found that the best course of action when I'm tempted to do this is to RESPOND rather than REACT. What's the difference?
When I react to something or someone, I am not in control. It is like when the Dr. hits your knee with that little hammer. You don't think about it, your body just reacts. By allowing my "knee-jerk" reaction free reign, I'm constantly giving the person or occurrence which caused the reaction to control my life, even if just for the moment. When I respond, I take time to think, to refocus, and choose an action which tips the scale in my direction.
So here is my thought for today. I'm choosing not to dwell on the past, but to learn from it and move on. I'm choosing not to worry about the future, but plan for it as I live in the now, moment by moment. I'm also choosing to process my first impression when I encounter an unexpected bump in the road and choose a reasoned response rather than a knee-jerk reaction. Join me?

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