This date has been my excuse in this series for accenting reaction responses by human beings. Reaction is noted and illustrated in the Freshman series, then followed in the Sophomore in the discussion of the Fruit of the Spirit that provides controls for Christians so to manage reactions. We take the matter a step further here so to understand both the spiritual and intellectual concerns that can, when utilized control emotions and take the sting out of common negative reactions – both personal and social. We need to remember that not all reactions are negative: anger, jealousy, depression, retreat, and the list extends. Reactions may be affirmative: love, humor, peace, relief, prayer and the list extends. The affirmatives have a better context in that they likely reflect the better side of human nature, and imply there is adequate defense for the reaction that leads to well-being in experience. Generally reactions do not take time to work out the logical details that lead to appropriate responses. Automatic gears kick in. They may tell us who/what we are.
Francis Bacon’s writings sometimes touch on our interest in gaining a background context for life. He found it in law, love and land. In law there had to be a standard to protect freedom and justice so we need a means to protect and guide the individual in all of life lived in society. In love there is an invisible umbilical cord that attaches from God, so to provide a reaction of love toward mankind – if it is not hindered. In land we have the womb of mother-nature to be lived in. The longer a life the closer the third stage of our journey of life approaches the next stage, and the less satisfactory is the attachment to the womb of nature. The unborn fetus is first a life/part of the mother. As months go by this environment becomes less and less of the life of the mother and more the child needing the next environment for life conducive to nature. Eventually that environment must yield to another. The understanding of the process, and any experience attending the transitions needs control. Control means the choice of response to meet and solve the issues, or react to them in some flailing of the spirit. When working together between the mother and the fetus, all goes well to birth. When all goes well between the person and nature, matters go well in development to the next transition. Each transition has its negative reactions, perhaps post-partum blues for the mother, on the way to some ensuing transition. Perhaps there are more transitions yonder.
If the cord of love related to God is strengthened the reaction of a person moves toward love, even in bad situations. Love is so important it is made the chief reaction for those who love God. (1 Corinthians 13) Every society seeks love in individuals, and social relationships. It needs to be greater than its detractors, such as abuse, arrogance, lifestyles, sin – in its revelations and expectations. Love can overcome attitudes contrary to it, even those with obtuse spirit, even over contrary genetic drives. It overcomes ignorance, arrogance, selfishness, devilish character. Love seems to begin in us as a seed sprouting to our parents with some self-love seen rising in the infant. Maturity begins when that love is directed toward others based, not on the others, but on the developing loving spirit within the empathic individual. It accounts for the desire to do good for others, and to feel that one wants to be treated with love from others. However, the love given is not dependent upon the love received. When love has its perfect work, the loving person fully furnished, prevails in self. Love emanates from the God source – an invisible umbilical cord. All true love comes from God, whether found in persons of faith or persons of common grace only. It dissolves the ugliness of even transient life and offers solutions even when they are not taken. In this understanding we sense the words from John 3:16 that God so loved the world . . . . It is seen as fully taken in the words of Stephen, looking toward the men stoning him to death and praying earnestly: lay not this sin to their charge. Stephen did not pray silently, or in a whisper, but with a loud voice. There were variant reactions, some unfavorable some favorable, related to the crowd. Few saw the verification of love that Stephen saw and declared in the hearing of the crowd: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. (Acts 7:54-60) The seated Christ stood up to receive Stephen. Devout persons would readily accept the injustice suffered by Stephen for such a reception yonder. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020