Natural

As one struggles against the odds in traffic it is easy to follow one’s natural reaction; it won’t get you there any faster yet we want to do something!  When someone comes up to you asking for the impossible, stinking, or in any way pushing you in a way you are not comfortable with, one has a reaction.  It’s natural but it is far from ideal.  Just when our fears and doubts get the best of us, we should stop and reflect on the link between our natural instinct and our priorities and values.  Is there one?  Could we make it stronger?  What would we ideally like to be able to do?
 
In the midst of a terrible tragedy there are a group of people who have my admiration and respect.  People by the hundreds and thousands have died.  For anyone involved with caring for the dead, especially in times when there is heat and humidity, the senses can easily be overwhelmed.  Having experienced this once I find myself overwhelmed just watching the scenes being played out on the television.  I am twenty something and eager to be strong.  Yet I found myself overwhelmed by smells, textures, and tragedy of it all.
 
I look now and find myself overwhelmed.  I read about the past and relive the moment again.  “Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb.  It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it.  Jesus said, ‘Remove the stone.’
 
The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, ‘Master, by this time there's a stench.  He's been dead four days!’”  (John 11.38, 39)
 
It is only natural to rebel against compassion, taken care of human needs, and mercy, yet there is a call for those who will act.  We will not usually face challenges of a world tragedy yet our natural instincts may not be the best guide on how to react to the people around us.  Take care, look for windows to give, and think of what Divinity’s has given us to share.