Week 41 - #Prepare “Respond”

"A Glimpse of Jesus"

Proverbs 15:1 - “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Ephesians 4:31 - “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

Acts 4:30 - “While you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

There is little doubt, many of you reading this have heard the quote made famous by Chuck Swindoll, “life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react.”

As a former football coach I remember using this statement to my players often.

It is through our adversities and struggles of life that we find ourselves with a decision. Stephen Covey taught that between a stimulus and a response we have a "window of choice."

How well do you respond to coaching? Are you coachable?

My dad always said there are two secrets to success, number one, that you’re willing and number two, you’re coachable.

One of my professors once said, to become an effective leader you must be able to "adapt and adjust" to the circumstances coming your way.

Another one of my mentors added, in especially difficult times, your response as a leader should reflect "abundance thinking versus one of scarcity."

How we respond is directly related to our preparation. And our preparation will be influenced by "whom" we are looking to.

The Apostle Paul who spent much of his life in and out of prison, balanced his responses in his second half of life, because of his faith in God. Even in the midst of chaos and struggle, Paul writes in Ephesians 4:31, to “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

In our time when the world has become less inclusive, and every individual is fighting for a cause, with little listening, there is an urgency for us to prepare to respond. And to respond without the need to be the one who is always right.

In Proverbs 15:1, we are reminded, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

When was the last time your response to a passionate topic might have been served up better with a “softer” answer?

We can still find ways to communicate our ideas, without diminishing other’s legitimacy.

Just being the loudest noise in the room doesn’t make us right. If we can find ways to extend a little, allowing ourselves to go into a dilemma within our own premises, we might just acknowledge a whole new meaning our pride otherwise wouldn’t let us see.

Paul stated in Acts 4:30, “While you stretch out your hand to heal, signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Have you prepared to respond to heal or to hurt?

Maybe if we allow others to see a glimpse of Jesus in our responses, our world just might be a kinder and gentler place.

DADs, how do we respond today?

To God be the glory!

DADs “get in the game”…

Today is game day…and so is every day…

God gives you! So…C’mon Men Suit Up!

**Today we prepare to“Respond.” Next week we will consider how critical it is to prepare to “Evolve.”

Note: *For this new year of 2021, the combination of my age (understanding my own fragile mortality), this current and ongoing global pandemic, and most recently the personal loss I’ve experienced of one of my students, has amplified the need to land on one word...#Prepare.

In this "pursuit to prepare" I am determined to dedicate the 52 weeks of 2021 blogging every Week about one aspect of preparation God lays on my heart.

As mentioned in week 1, the word “prepare” means “to establish, fix, or apply.” It conveys the idea of deliberate effort over a prolonged period of time.