First Response

When a disaster strikes in the United States, there are teams of people who have been especially prepared to handle such circumstances. These “first response” groups, as they are known, are equipped to know how to best deal with a chaotic and unpredictable situation. They have the skills and resources to help minimize damage and protect the most number of people as possible.

In our lives, we also have a “first response” team – a group of people that we turn to when things aren’t going well.  Similarly, we may be part of someone else’s team; we may be the person that they count on to help them weather a storm. Unsurprisingly, these people are usually the individuals that are closest to us – our spouses, our parents, or dear friends.  They rely on us in their moments of greatest needs.

Yet sometimes we don’t treat this position as the privilege that it is. Just like the emergency “first responders” are a select and esteemed group, we have been carefully selected by the people who count on us. This means that we need to be equipped and prepared to deal with their life emergency.

Practically this means at least three things:

1) We need to know the proper instructions – If people come to us for help and assistance, the most helpful thing that we can do is to point them to the One who knows their situation intimately and can provide the most powerful help imaginable. That means we need to know God’s Word. We need to know what God says about their situation, how they should respond, and the promises that He offers to those who call on Him.

2) We need to practice love. – The reason the first responders are so good at their job is that they practice. Simulations try to create the types of situations that they might find themselves in. We don’t have to create virtual events in order for us to practice. We have the opportunity to practice sacrificial love each and every day. This type of love isn’t interested in what benefits us, but what is beneficial to them. If we are doing this when there isn’t an emergency, it will likely be our response when there is one as well.

3) We need to be equipped with encouragement. –  Being a first responder can be difficult because there is chaos everywhere. Sometimes our first reaction is to try to “fix” the problem – by telling people what they are doing wrong or by removing barriers for them. However, while we may be able to provide a solution, usually when people turn to us, the first thing that they need to hear is to keep walking the path that God has for them. Much like a trapped patient doesn’t need to hear about the surgery they will eventually need to have, we need to give them the “first aid” first – we need to stop the bleeding – and then work on the subsequent steps. Of course, if someone is walking contrary to God’s will, we can’t encourage that – but except in these situations the first words on our lips should be bandages of encouragement. We can move on to the detail prescription afterward.


Being a first responder isnt’ easy, but they play a critical role in saving lives after a catastrophe.  It won’t be easy for us either, but if we know the proper instructions, practice love and are equipped with encouragement, we can have confidence that we can be someone our loved ones can count on when they face their own time of need.


What’s missing from the list that is critical for “first responders?”

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Object of Affection

“Mine.” has to be one of the first things that most children learn to say. Eventually, the say this word repeatedly, often at significant volume as they demand what they want. Even when we are past the age where we incessantly say it,  we often still act like the petulant toddler who wants what hasn’t been given to them. “Mine” we think to ourselves as we pursue the things that our heart desires.

Our demanding and covetous nature isn’t limited to just things. We often respond to people in that way as well. Perhaps it’s because I work at a college and volunteer in a college ministry, but I see this a lot. We’ve decided that there’s someone who might be a good “fit” for us, and much like the child articulates their desires, we do the same with God.  We tell Him that we want that person to be ours, and ask Him to make it so.

The problem of course is that the person is a person – someone who has been created in the image of God. And by viewing them as something to possess we belittle their very worth. We say that they are the object of our affection and then treat them as such – an object – something to have, not someone loved by God.  Instead of treating them as someone who God has carefully designed and who He has an intentional plan for, we treat them as something that is used for our good, something that was created for the benefit of us.

It’s a hard mindset to break. It permeates our culture, our entertainment and our conversations. Yet, there is a least one way that we can start viewing the person we’re fond of in a manner that’s more honoring of God and that is to pray for them. Not praying for them in terms of how it benefits ourselves, but praying for them in terms of God’s own design for their life. Specifically, pray for their future spouse. If there’s one surefire way to stop seeing someone as a means to our own end, it’s to realize – and pray intentionally for – the person that God has created for them.  They become then, not an object of our affection, but a creation of our Living God.

While this is a great practice for potential romantic relationships, it doesn’t apply only to them. Whenever we are tempted to see someone as a stumbling block to getting what we want, or a means through which our desires can be met, we need to view them from Heaven’s perspective. We need to see them with the love of our Father, not the immaturity of a child. We need to seek their good, not how they may benefit us.

The less we say “mine” and the more we pray “Yours,” the more our hearts, and our affections, will be aligned with our King’s.

 

Share your thoughts…what have you found helpful in seeing people from God’s perspective?

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