REACT OR RESPOND

It is a privilege to have a person in your life that even if you don't speak often, there is no doubt if you need something they will be there for you.

Time, distance, separation is irrelevant. I realize that is not a complete sentence but it says everything.

I want to share an intimate story about one of these friends that I have.

A couple of days before Christmas I received a text from her asking if I could talk. I quickly responded because we don't chat often so when we get the opportunity, I almost always stop whatever I'm doing to oblige.

As soon as she answered I knew immediately that something was wrong. She could hardly catch her breath to say hello.

After she barely uttered the word, she said "I am sorry, I have to try and calm down so I can tell you what's going on."

This particular friend is one of my longest running relationships that I have and I can count on one hand how many times I have seen or heard her cry.

I knew instantly the severity of her situation.

She was finally able to tell me that her newly fostered son that she has had since birth, had to start visits with his birth mother.

In order for you to better understand, I will need to give you a little more context. Prior to accepting him, she was told that there was no possible way of him reuniting with his birth mother or anyone from his biological family. Therefore, adoption was imminent.

At the time of the call, the baby was already 5 months old and had never been away from the only mother he knew.

Perhaps now you can have empathy for her as to why she was so devastated.

I wanted to be a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, a warm embrace but I also wanted to be a voice of reason.

They were leaving for a family vacation during the holidays so I said, listen you need to focus on the present - enjoy your vacation, embracing every moment that you can. Do not worry or stress about what will happen when you return because you will be robbed of precious moments and memories if you do.

Before we hung up, we prayed and although I believe she felt somewhat better I could tell she was still very much bothered.

Fast forward to the last week of January, I got a message from my friend saying that the day before her son was scheduled for an over night visit with his birth mother, she tested positive for drugs and all visits were terminated.

She was overjoyed, crying and thanking God. I actually got chill bumps when I heard the news and I was equally ecstatic for her.

Then I started thinking about how often we react to situations, allowing fear to dictate our next move.

If she would not have been notified of the court's decision, I am confident that she would have went on a lovely vacation and reveled in it.

But that's not what happened and most of her vacation was filled with anxiety, stress, anger, frustration etc.

Or better yet, if she would have had a crystal ball to see the future, she would have full confidence that her son would not have to spend over night visits with a complete stranger in a risky environment away from his loving, nurturing family.

She would have seen that God listened to her cries, answered her petitions and moved on her behalf at the precise moment she needed Him to.

We can choose to RESPOND to situations by staying calm, focused and confident that everything works together for our benefit.

If we REACT, we are at the mercy of the situation. We are its servant. The situation is the one calling the shots, not us.

We are powerful beings and the choice is ours to make.

YOU ARE DESIGNED TO REIGN IN LIFE

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