Re-Actions Benefit No One...

Life is full of choices, or so we are told.  In reality we have only two choices, we can act or we can re-act.  Jesus says we are to act, not re-act.  Acting is coming from love and humility, re-acting is from the self and a need to defend one's self.


Your probably thinking, "Cyndi what in the world are you talking about?", at this moment so I will clarify the revelation that the Lord placed on my heart today.


When people inter"act", they are bouncing off one another.  This is considered conversation and develops our relationships.  One person speaks about something and the other responds.  How the person who is receiving the message responds is based on many factors.  Their mood, the climate, past exchanges with this person or people whom they consider to be like them, outside distractions, the list goes on.  Conversations and relationships are a conglomeration of these verbal and physical (body language) ball passes.


If I am speaking to someone and they act as if they are not really listening to me, or seem to be not particularly interested I can act or re-act to this.  God showed me today that reactions are just that, an action that is replayed to the other person (or people) based on what they did (or didn't do) to us.  He showed me that the action is repeated back and forth until one of the individuals decides to break the cycle by purposely "acting".  


Now, I am speaking about negative actions mostly.  However, positive can be done as well.  If someone gives me a present than I usually want to give them something back.  That is a re-action.  


The same applies when they criticize me.  When I re-act, I criticize them in return.  I am acting as they are acting towards me.  To break this pattern requires that I stop, think and pray about what I should do next, and ACT accordingly.  Acting is on purpose, re-acting is not.  Re-acting happens when we are coming from an emotional mind set.  It causes us to act in ways that many times we thought we would never behave.


Jesus was the perfect example of action vs. re-action.  In the story of the woman caught in adultery, he is placed in a situation where many, no most would have reacted to the emotional tension of the moment.  The Pharisees were acting in a judgmental and condemning manner.  Jesus could have reacted to their behavior and judged and condemned her as well.  Yet, take a look at what He does.


In John 8, He is in the temple court very early in the morning, at dawn actually.  He is teaching the people who are there, when in comes a group of Pharisees and scribes with a woman.  I have to believe they had set her up, because seriously how would they have known to catch her before the sun came up?


Verse 3, "When the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery.  They made her stand in the middle of the court and put the case before Him."


Verse 4, "Teacher, they said, This woman has been caught in the very act of adultery."


They then proceed to remind Him of the Law and what Moses had commanded.  (That women offenders were to be stoned to death).  Which is not what it says at all, according to Deuteronomy 22:22, "If a man is found lying with another man's wife, they shall both die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman.  So you shall purge the evil from Israel."  (italics mine)  Again, I believe that she was set up, because where was the man?  Did they promise him immunity if he would do this despicable deed, solely for the purpose of trying to trip up Jesus?  


Anyway, back to the story.  So they, point out just this portion of the commandment and ask what Jesus thinks they should do with her.  They are trying to get a re-action out of Him.  However, Jesus acts instead.  He bends down and begins writing on the ground with his finger.  He didn't not respond, so they kept at Him.


Finally, He stands and says, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."  John 8:7b.   He then bends back down and continues to write.


They all stopped and listened to Him, then they began leaving one by one, their conscience had gotten to them.  Jesus effectively stopped the bouncing ball of re-action and forced each of them to stop and think and ACT.


The key here is that to act instead of react, we must STOP and think about what we are doing.  Think through our responses, and compare them to the Word of God.  Does what we are about to do coincide with it, or contradict it?


The next time you find yourself in a situation where you have something negative happening, STOP.  Then with the help of the Holy Spirit, get your emotions in check and ACT, not re-act.  Mercy which is an action, must always be ON PURPOSE.  No one reacts in mercy or grace or love, no this is something we must do, a way we must act, in response to all interactions.


Heavenly Father,
Thank You for showing us the difference in our responses.  For letting us know we do have a choice.  That when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us we will alway act.  This lets us stop the horrible tail-spin of re-actions.  Letting You be in control, and helping us to treat each person with the greatest commandment, LOVE.  Love is never a reaction, but an action.  It calls for us to do what is not expected or deserved to another.  It is what You gave us by sacrificing Your Son on the cross.  Love brings us to mercy and grace and can only come through purposeful actions. We praise and worship You for teaching us these truths.


In Jesus name,
Amen