When We Need Not Respond

Times when outcomes are known and all that can be ventured is innuendo and judgment, for nothing’s changing that outcome, there is nothing to be gained and much potentially lost in responding to a jibe.

Some people exist for that very moment—to wave the red rag about another’s face and spit into the face of retort. Why satisfy them?

It is much wiser for us to consider how things might turn out as we prepare to expel our response. Whilst this is not always easy, it’s made easier for the emotive toughening; the jettison of all sense of competition or comparison; a decision made.

Objectivity the Means – Peace the End

Objectivity is the golden mode as others are picking away at emotive seams. They shall be surprised that we can shelve our want just about at our will. They shall see what self-control is available as we trust in the Spirit to gain for us peace in the moment of torment.

The real game isn’t this thing that appears to wrangle with our hearts just now. Knowledge is space; giving us over to a grace that’s externally internal, something quite beyond understanding.

Vindication of Faith

Added to the peace that’s felt but by how we do not know is the witness of faith. This method of waiting upon, but over, temptation to respond actually worked! They were crushed, not us.

We knew that this method was a winner when their crushing brought us no joy at all—just understanding of the Spirit’s power to vanquish an enemy without even thought of a blow. Victory for inaction... now that’s power!

A Response That Works So Often

Wisdom is so often the matter of doing little to achieve a significant result; a little yeast works its way through all the dough.

With some people there is no winning, and that’s okay because winning is not our objective—it’s theirs. Why do we play a game beyond our intention and for another’s sadistic gain?

No, it just won’t do.

As the moments of inaction-as-response prevail we’re found thanking God, because it was a position of elevated, patient thinking—not of ego—that saw us through.

The response that doesn’t respond shows us how to deal with the next situation and the next and so on. It only has to work once; then we’re inspired to use it again.

This is tantamount to taking active control over our God-blessed destinies as fear about others that tease is swamped by an underpinning confidence in the Spirit that overwhelms the dark fight.

Better the counterpunch by different and unexpected tack—one that surprises as it overwhelms... one that takes surprisingly little effort... one that proves power of right over wrong.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.

Graphic Credit: Peter Harrison: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Block_and_Punch.jpg.