Reactions

Reactions

Being made “sorry in a godly manner” (2 Cor. 7:9) is the same as the sorrow that is the result of always longing to react in a godly way.

The way you react to everything and everyone you meet in life will determine the degree of your happiness or unhappiness. Your reaction, and only your reaction, is the determining factor. Whatever happens to you in life, whatever others say or do, these things in themselves have no bearing on your happiness or unhappiness; they neither add to it nor detract from it. This probably doesn’t sound right because it is the exact opposite of the way most people think and speak. But, nonetheless, it is a marvelous truth! The more you try it, the clearer it will become to you.

There is hardly anything more foolish than making excuses for yourself and blaming others. What others say or do affects their happiness or unhappiness but not yours—no, not in the least. Others can neither make you happy nor unhappy. Only your reaction to what happens or to what others say or do (their conduct or their treatment of you and yours) can in any way affect your happiness or unhappiness. Your own sin causes you to react to things and to people in a way that is harmful to you and causes you loss. It is very easy to think that what others have said or done has hurt you; nearly everyone is as sure of this as they are that two and two make four. And yet, it is not true.

The purpose of this writing is to help as many people as possible to see and forsake this fatal misunderstanding that plagues all of mankind.

In order to react to everything in a way that will increase—and not decrease—your happiness, you must seek—and find—a radical salvation and liberation from the power of sin. Only then will you be able to react to everything and everyone in a way that will not disturb your joy, but will increase it instead.

What a wonderful salvation from sin! What glorious results can be attained right in the midst of this evil world where millions of people are constantly tormenting themselves by reacting to things and people in the wrong way, to their own eternal loss!

The following example illustrates the great mistake that most people make: Someone does something evil to you. You aren’t able to bear it, and so you, too, become evil. Then you rationalize that if the person hadn’t said or done this evil thing to you, you wouldn’t have become evil. In other words, it is the other person’s fault. On the surface this would seem to be right, but it isn’t. In fact, it is wrong, very wrong.

The fact is this: The other person’s bad behavior caused you to be tempted, thus giving you a new opportunity to overcome, and an opportunity to add to your ultimate victor’s crown. But you fell in the temptation instead. It was your fault. The source of the problem is your own corruption.

It is absolutely wrong to say that you fell because of what the other person said or did. On the contrary, the other person’s behavior only brought to light the evil in you that was there all the time. There is no advantage to retaining the evil that dwells within you. You only deceive yourself and others into thinking you are better and have progressed further spiritually than you really have.

You fell simply because you were not saved from the power of sin, and not because of what the other person did wrong. You reacted in the wrong way, the usual, sinful way, and it was totally unnecessary. You could have reacted in a godly way. You could have won a glorious victory! You had a wonderful opportunity, but you failed to make use of it.

You can also put it like this: It is faulty reasoning to think that you cannot help but become evil when someone else has been evil to you. That is completely wrong! Of course, as long as you are evil, it is true that evil reactions are unavoidable. But you can be saved from this habitual way of reacting to things. Just read the third epistle of John!

If Eve had reacted differently, telling the serpent that they were very happy with everything just as it was, so there was no need whatsoever to eat of the forbidden fruit, then there would not have been a fall, the resulting bad conscience, the resulting banishment from the Garden of Eden, sickness, or death.

If Adam had reacted differently, he would have refused Eve’s offer to eat of the forbidden fruit, and sin would not have gained entrance into the world.

If Jesus had reacted differently—if He had, for example, been righteous in everything but had been absolutely unwilling to suffer injustice—then there would not be atonement or any kind of salvation at all. He, the Just One, would have remained together with His righteous Father, and all of us would be lost. How unspeakably great and wonderful that He chose to respond in the loving way that He did!

We, too, by suffering unjustly, can win other souls whom we would not otherwise be able to win. To quarrel about our rights, to insist on them, or to sue our fellow man is an extremely foolish and dangerous way to live.

When someone treats us unjustly, it is important to think in a wise and good way—like this: “He has really treated me unjustly! The poor man! He must surely be miserable now, whereas I am so happy. He is really to be pitied. I truly feel sorry for him. I wonder what good I can do for him now to help counter some of his unhappiness. The poor, unhappy man! But how happy I am! God be praised!”

By thinking and reacting in this way, I abide in peace, joy, and happiness; in fact, my peace, joy, and happiness increase. Then I also have an opportunity to help the one who treated me unjustly so that he, too, can become happy. What a marvelous way of reacting! A wonderful, fruitful attitude that glorifies God!