Each of us encounters things, situations and people each day. Some of them are very challenging. I have had more than my share of those challenges this past week. I won’t bore you with any details, but dealing with them reminded me of a wise quote. Former college football coach Lou Holtz once said, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” I don’t know about you, but I need to get better at reacting.
You might be wondering what this has to do with living the Christian life. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we do not move into a monastery sequestered with other believers. While it is true that we are no longer OF the world, we are still called to be IN the world to let our light shine for others. We still face the same challenges as everyone else, but the difference should be in our reactions.
Christians also do not cease to be human. We still have human reactions to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual stimulus and each of us may react a little differently. We are unique, as I have pointed out many times before. How do we know what our Christian reaction should be to any challenge we face?
The answer, as always, is found in our relationship with God through His Holy Spirit within us. I have Christian friends who avoid social media because of how they react to some of the posts. I approach social media, as I approach my blog, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance and help. I receive blessings and encouragement from the posts by my Christian friends. Then, when I encounter lies or negative posts, the Holy Spirit will prompt me to either scroll past and ignore it, or post a respectful comment simply stating the truth. So far, I have only been unfriended once and I have been able with God’s help to plant those seeds of truth in the minds and hearts of others. With God’s help, I am also getting better at resisting my tendency to over react to anything that happens to me, but there is still room for improvement in that area.