responding

By asking the question ‘why’ we naturally improve our emotional intelligence. For anyone that knows me knows that I am emotional at the best at times I can perceive, use, and understand emotions but for me personally, I’m learning the art of managing and articulating the emotions that arise.  But asking the question ‘why’ unlocks value, spurs learning and fuels innovation refocuses and directs your attention to what’s of importance to you.

 8 months ago, our family finished a season. A season our family whole-heartedly loved, and with every fibre invested in. As this chapter closed we opened our next with our hearts open to being still and willing to adventure so much so we packed up everything, bought a caravan and travelled around Australia, borders permitting of course. Taking this time off from agendas, from what we thought we knew was incredible and provoking at the same time.  I don’t know about you, but I’m a thinker who can quite easily get lost in thought and having absolutely no agenda was confronting and made me reflect, realise, and ask a lot of ‘whys.’

 I was in Church on Sunday just gone and the person leading worship warmly welcomed us and proceeded to say, “look I’m halfway through my life, which is confronting because I so desperately don’t want the second half of my life to be a repeat of the first.” “I want more, I know God has more” This is 100% true! Who wants their life just to be on repeat and asking the ‘whys’ is dangerous but oh so necessary to live in everything that God has for you.

 Being transparent and I realise I’m being transparent with so many people, people that I don’t know, people that may misunderstand but I’m not ashamed of being honest or being vulnerable and if I only help one person then my job is done. This trip has taught me so many things, it has brought me to my knees, and it has taught me to just be me and that, that’s beautiful. It’s taught me to ask the ‘whys,’ it’s taught me to wrestle with God, it’s taught me what’s important and to cling to and that is my provider of hope.

 A year of new I felt God say to me. New experiences, new perspective, new horizons, new ground, new authority, a new peace, a new strength but one word played on repeat… immediately. Over this time, God has taught me anew that our response holds great importance and weight regardless of the question at hand. I don’t know about you but as I read the scriptures it comes alive as I read repeatedly Jesus’s immediate approach and response to humanity.

 Mark 1:41-42 says,

Then Jesus moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

 As Jesus came down the mountain, He meets the man at his point of need. Matthew records how Jesus demonstrated His love by serving him not by cleansing him but by healing him. This man was a leper, an outcast, his body was ravaged by disease, he was dis-figured and unclean… till… he met Jesus and He changed everything.

 It isn’t just the immediate response that draws me in and arrests my attention but it’s the fact that Scripture states that Jesus was moved with compassion and immediately we read that Jesus responds with a corresponding action.  Today, I hear a lot of people say that compassion isn’t their thing, “it’s not my gifting,” I’m not merciful that’s someone else’s job, I’m a leader I preach, I talk vision, I strategise, I don’t have time for emotions, for compassion.” So often we confuse sympathy, emotions, and empathy with compassion. Compassion is not compassion unless you’re willing to cross the road and get involved. I think as Christians we need to be able to cross the road, regardless of what we do, our role at Church or how important we are.

 I love how we read about Jesus’s immediate response to humanity but then we read in man’s brokenness and perfectly imperfect state you see man’s heart, man’s immediate response to Jesus.

 Matthew 4:19-20

“Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And immediately having left the nets, they followed Him.

 I can’t imagine what the disciples were thinking and feeling that particular day. The disciples exposed their bold and unwavering faith and obedience that day. To immediately pick up and leave everything behind, everything they knew, everything that was comfortable and follow Jesus.

 How are we able to live our lives with that same faith and obedience from just one word?

That immediately is our response and reaction to Him.

 I encourage you over this next week to look for opportunities to be moved by God. Pray Holy Spirit would you give me eyes to see the need around me and the courage to respond immediately to the need presented