Triggers…

Even though my dog is no longer around, I have continued taking the daily walks we took and find that while I do miss his company (and all the positive attention he drew), I still enjoy getting out to breathe in the fresh Tennessee air, while exploring my surroundings, and spending time talking to God all along the way!

My favorite of the usually three walks (sometimes four), continues to be the first-thing-in-the-morning walk… after my Bible study time and a quick shower!  The day is at its freshest point, the well-kept and nicely landscaped apartment homes complex is just waking up, the temperature is crisp and cool (except for the freezing days of winter and the HOT mid-summer scorchers) and nature and all the little critters are on full display.

During that initial walk of the day, my Bible study notes are sharp on my mind and my travelling prayer-time tends to set the course of my day.  Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about “TRIGGERS” and how certain stimuli can set off particular reactions and/or responses in us… in the daily course of our lives.

On the positive side, I’ve been remembering more and more details of one of the most special 2-night, mid-week holidays that my wife and I enjoyed at The Fort Ross Lodge up on the Sonoma County California coastline in 1998.*  As I look around my apartment today, I can’t help but notice that I seem to have more pictures of that event hanging on the walls than of any other from the 48 years of our relationship!

I won’t go into a lot of detail of the experience because it was very personal in its nature.  But suffice to say, there were some very unique and wonderful, heart-felt experiences that we encountered that were TRIGGERED by what I’ve been learning this week to be Spirit-led “premeditated words and actions of faith.”  For as it turns out, I was pretty excited about our time together (so what else is new… right!) and had (unbeknownst to her) put a lot of time in preparation through prayer, activity planning, gifts and special food treats for our holiday.  And in this regard, Galatians 5:6 teaches us that,

“All that matters now is living in the faith that is activated and brought to perfection by LOVE.”  (Galatians 5:6 / The Passion Translation) 

I don’t think that with Piper being gone for almost seven years now… that it is a coincidence that I still have many more pictures of that special time, than any other… especially since I always took lots of pictures (and especially of her) during every holiday we took together!  I believe that the Lord just likes to give us reminders of the special times that He has blessed us with… DON’T YOU?

On the somewhat negative side, I’ve also been reminded this week of some of the confusing and less-than-positive responses we received when Piper got sick and disabled beginning around 2010.  I’ve learned this week, that those reactions were also TRIGGERED by “premeditated words and actions” …but not of those activated by FAITH working through LOVE, but instead… of those driven by FEAR… which to my understanding… is the opposite of LOVE! 

I John 4:18 informs us that,

“No fear exists where His LOVE is. Rather, perfect LOVE gets rid of fear, because fear involves punishment. The person who lives in fear doesn’t have perfect love.”  (God’s Word ©)

I’d often-times wondered what generated those surprising (to me) responses back then and was given an answer in my Bible Study time this morning that correlated with a similar situation that Paul wrote about in Romans chapter eight, when he told of how the love and grace of Jesus liberated us from the rules (the Do’s and Don’ts) of the Old Testament Law.  He explained how the Law basically turned into a mess of impossible-to-follow lists of demands - that was originally intended to be something good for the Jewish people! (See: Romans 8:4 / “The Heart of Paul - A Relational Paraphrase of the New Testament” by Ben Campbell Johnson**)

So… like the intent of the Law… I believe that these individual’s response had originally begun with good intentions for us – but over time, as Romans 8:5 explains, had yielded to

“Old attitudes and patterns” and fallen “captive to whimsical impulses and past conditioning (ie; TRAINING)…” (The Heart of Paul**)

I now believe that those reactions that we encountered toward our situation, were simply the results of a (careless and unknowingly) well-practiced (or TRAINED) automatic response to the uncomfortable situations that they experienced over the years.  I’ve always felt that if they had actually realized what they were doing… that they would have immediately adjusted their actions into a more positive mode.

Once again, the Lord is reminding us (Read that: me… and maybe you too, if the shoe fits!) that the way we respond and/or react to the TRIGGERS in life depends upon the things that we have been diligent to deposit in our hearts!  And to me… that only means two things… Spending regular and consistent time in fellowship with the Lord in His Word and then to PRACTICE, PRACTICE and PRACTICE some more - what the Word teaches us… NO matter how different it may be from the world’s “normal” way of life.

The diligence and work of repeated PRACTICE relates specifically to the Godly TRAINING program that we take upon ourselves… in order to best handle the adverse situations and circumstances that may come around in our daily lives… and the verses of scripture that immediately come to my mind in support of this responsible lifestyle is where Paul told of how he learned to successfully and spontaneously respond to the ups and downs of life in Philippians 4:12-13 where he boldly declared,

“I know what it means to lack, and I know what it means to experience overwhelming abundance. For I’m TRAINED in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of CHRIST’S EXPLOSIVE POWERE INFUSES ME TO CONQUEFR EVERY DIFFICULTY” (The Passion Translation)

So… What will it be for you? 

What are the things that TRIGGER responses of FAITH that are empowered by Godly LOVE in the daily schedules of your lives… and what are the things that TRIGGER responses of FEAR that seem to be void of the infusion of Godly LOVE in your life?

Hummmmm… and then the most logical questions would be… What are you going to DO about it… and what are the responses of Godly LOVE that you need to start TRAINING on?

I just bought a couple of light weight dumbbells to add to my daily exercise routine, along with my walking schedule in order to help me keep up with our kids and grandkids… along with all the other things that I still want to do and accomplish in my senior season of life. 

So… that extra physical TRAINING, getting more DILIGENT with my diet and staying CONSISTENT in my daily study and PRACTICE in and with God’s Word can only help… RIGHT?  

Have a GREAT week and let me know how your PRACTICE and TRAINING in the different areas of your life is doing!

 

*Ah… and there was always the wonderful and relaxing enjoyment of taking the T-Tops off my Camaro and driving along the winding curves of Highway One with the cool ocean breezes blowing through our hair and the incomparable scenic dioramas of the Pacific Ocean outside the windshield… it was the perfect way to de-stress before we arrived at our destination! – As long as Piper didn’t remind me too many times to “Slow-Down Jim!”

**Volume One -  © 1976 by Ben Campbell Johnson – Word Books, Waco, Texas 76703