Measuring Your First Response

[HKHaugan]

Being a disciple of Jesus is being a first responder. How you became a disciple was a first response to the Spirit of God knocking on the door of your heart as you were weighing Jesus and His claims. Your first response was opening that door. With each person the way we open is different but it was a first as it is with everyone who says yes to Him. With each succeeding moment your view of the world was a completely new challenge where every next moment demanded a first response.

There are really only two responses, a spiritual response because of Jesus and a worldly response because of my being conditioned by the world around me. The first is led by the Holy Spirit and the second is from the imperfect self trying to perceive without God.

Before Jesus we were anxious, apprehensive, wary of our surroundings and the people around us. Responding was based on ‘what if,’ basic uncertainty. What if I make the wrong choice, say what I really think, look like I’m not in control? What if I make a mistake, look foolish and don’t have the knowledge the moment demands? What if I don’t fit in? The best thing is to consider all the options and avoid any possible failure. Play it safe. Learn how to survive. Keep everything close to the vest. Life is all about me being in control. Ethics are simple. Good is being in control and evil is not being in control. This is the nature of sin which is always trying to look good and suppress inner conflict.

After Jesus we find a peace about inner conflict. It doesn’t go away but we are relationally bonded with the Lord. He’s our new center of consciousness. It’s He who leads us moment by moment and takes the edge off our anxieties. That herd of elephants--- you know--- the ones tip-toeing in the living room of our hearts? Those strongholds we made up to deal with an uncertain world? They begin to disappear because they become irrelevant. As we make our way in Jesus we realize we are not being condemned for being so conflicted within, worried about what others think about me, uncertain about the future and what might happen if I don’t look or act right. I’m not always having to justify myself with excuses.

In Jesus I find that I’m already known for what I really am inside and He doesn’t fill me with apprehension and guilt. Rather, He really cares about what I think and feel, what I believe and how I can be who I spiritually am without fearing the reactions I get. It’s all about growing up in Him. He is the one stronghold who replaces the ones I manufactured along the way. It’s about real love and acceptance and finding who I really am in the midst of others who have found the same quality of life. It’s a spiritual life flowing from God through His Spirit.

Four discoveries greet you after you meet Jesus and become a first responder. You don’t look at people the same way, you want to know them more, you want them to know you more and you want to share how Jesus made the difference.

First, you don’t look at people the same way. People are not just what you see with your eyes. They are spiritual beings, images of God, with the same nature as yours. They have attitudes, opinions, personal histories that have made them what they are. They are filled with the very same needs as you have, only in different measures. Our reactions toward others reflect our own insecurities and problems and that makes us uncomfortable. Here is where we have the opportunity to grow when we see that each one of those occasions is not a risk but a blessing, a first response the Spirit is urging us take. A first responder steps out.

Second, you want to know them more. If we begin to see each person as a gift given us at the moment, that moment becomes a desire to find out who they are and be blessed by what we find. Two things happen here. First, we discover how the world has shaped our first impressions. Appearance, ethnic background, social groupings, education, you know, ‘are they my kind of people?’ Second, it’s actually rejecting the old conditioning and trusting the Lord in the Spirit to appreciate what before was treated with avoidance. Each person is unique, an unexpected treasure waiting to be opened. If each person is an image of God I want to know more about them. That’s being a first responder.

Third, you want them to know you more. It is built in us to desire a relationship with others. But in Christ we find we don’t need to hide anymore. Of course we are careful in the sense that we don’t bulldoze into people’s lives. We need to build trust through prayer, time and shared tasks. We don’t just do this on our own. We have a guide, the Holy Spirit through applied Scripture, Holy Scripture. Growing in the Word gives us a map through relational struggles as we overcome together what the Lord is leading us to share and discover. This is why we are in the Body of Christ. Having the same Lord our trust in Him opens us to one another in the Spirit. This is where a first responder grows.

Fourth, you want to share how Jesus made the difference. There is nothing like offering a personal experience to validate what you believe. This is especially true when that experience has made the difference in giving you an inner balance and ‘peace of mind.’ You’ve just got to share it with someone. Because it is so real you become more and more impervious to ridicule, sarcastic response and that ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ look that comes from an unbeliever's discomfort. In fact you are just led to pray for those who have resistance and have a hard time handling spiritual reality. Now you know you are a first responder. Let’s roll.