Response Ability

As human beings we have freedom to act and react to life. We have the ability to respond to the events that happen to us. And how we choose to respond determines the course of our life. When you look back over the arc of your life to date, how you responded to certain situations, certain opportunities have shaped the outcomes. There have maybe been a crisis in your life and instead of rushing off and doing something rash, you slowed down and made a measured response. You can look to that moment as key in your life. Or some opportunity was given and maybe you took full advantage of it and that changed everything. Or you didn’t…and you regret it.

We see this in movies. There is often this crisis moment where the whole movie hinges on the main character’s response. Great movies are always like this. Something important or significant happens, and then there is a response, and the movie is about the response.

My favorite movie is The Godfather and the whole movie and in fact the whole trilogy hinges on Michael’s response once his father is shot. Remember the scene. Michael arrives at the eerily empty hospital, deserted corridors, empty nurses stations, half eaten meals, something is terribly, horribly wrong. At his father’s room the guard has deserted his post. Michael hesitates before he pushes open the door. His father is in the bed, alive, but barely so.
Michael leans over the bed and kisses the Don’s hand and says, “Just lie here Pop, I’ll take care of you now. I’m with you now. I’m with you…”

Michael’s life and the whole story is never the same after that response.

We shape our responses and then our responses shape our lives and determine our path. Same for our faith life.

God, who created the Universe and is the absolute origin of absolutely everything always takes the initiative in granting His grace and mercy. His gifts are given to us each and every day. But, it is up to us to take responsibility to acknowledge that.
When good things happen to us, there is a moment, there is a decision point in which we decide to turn back to God or not…we just keep on going. God gives to us and then we respond by just going on with life or we make a decision to turn back to the God who is the giver of all good things and recognize his goodness.

Join us live on Ridgely Road (in Timonium) or live online, Sundays at 10:30am and 5:30pm for our new series. This week we will be talking about unanswered prayer.