(Occasionally when I teach a lesson I’ll add bonus material online for those who wish to go deeper. This post is just such additional material.)
The formula E+R=O is an age old adage to remind us that Events + your Response = the Outcome. Too often we blame events themselves or we focus on the WHY’s of an event when all we really can control is our RESPONSE.
What are some responses that are productive in the face of any difficult event, no matter how painful?
FORGIVENESS. Someone hurting or attacking you, whether intentional or purposeful, is plenty reason to respond with an attack. Yet this rarely helps. Usually it makes it much worse and prolongs your pain. Instead, forgive. This is true even if you’re justified to be angry.
LOVE: so often painful events lead to even more pain because we respond our of selfishness and defensiveness. How about conditioning ourselves to respond with love? This is so difficult it can on be done through God’s help and not through your own resources. It is a matter of conditioning, we’re not programmed to be loving in the face of purposeful attacks. Yet it is possible.
GRACE: often hurt is caused unintentionally, yet we pick up the slight and respond with intention to hurt others. Instead, try grace. GRACE is giving others slack, not looking for the worst explanation for anthers behavior, but the best possible explanation for why they act the way they do.
DC
