Rewiring My Buttons

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 1 Peter 1:22 (NIV)

Do you ever feel like you could be just a dandy Christian if it were not for other PEOPLE? Sometimes I feel like I could shower love and good will around me by the bucket load until someone goes and pushes my buttons. It is usually easy to love the faceless masses as long as I do not watch the evening news. I can give my fellow church-goers a big smile and some pleasant conversation as long as they keep their distance and do not come to me with complaints or well-meant advice. And I adore my family when things are going smoothly, the kids are not fighting, and my husband is easy-going. But when conflict raises its ugly head, watch out. The un-Christian thoughts that sometimes run through my head when I happen to read the newspaper are not glorifying to my Lord and Savior. When people come to me at church and disturb my 'worshipful mood' with their needs and wants, I do not always inwardly respond with joy and peace. And when my family does not act like I think they should, I am ready to ship the whole lot away on a nice long vacation--without me.

And yet God put me into a world where I have to interact with other people--even people who sometimes cause me to get a little grumpy, frustrated, and even downright mad. Jesus dealt with these kinds of people all the time. He ran up against some characters who were just downright annoying. The Pharisees immediately come to my mind. They were constantly trying to get His 'divine goat.' They were always trying to push His buttons and make Him say things that might turn the crowds against Him, trying to get others to think that He was not the great guy everyone thought He was. The neat thing is that they never could. Jesus did not have any buttons that made Him say things He did not mean, or which caused Him to do unkind things to others around Him. He was perfect. I wish I was more like Him. I wish I did not have those buttons. But, because I am a sinful creature, I do. And I need to get rid of those buttons, or better yet, rewire them, so that when my buttons are pushed, I react with patience and love instead of frustration and anger. When I see a violent act on the news, I need to react with prayer instead of fear. When someone does something I do not like, I need to get patient with them instead of getting upset. And I need to do it automatically, without hardly thinking about it. Just like Jesus did. Jesus, who went so far as to die for those who tried to annoy Him. I may not have an opportunity to die for them, but surely I could be patient and kind to them. Surely I could follow the example of my Lord and Savior whom I claim to love and follow. Who, I know for a fact, puts up with some very annoying behaviors from me and constantly forgives me over and over.

I think it is time to do some rewiring.

Help me Lord to have Your loving attitude-towards everyone. Help me to be sensitive toward You and not toward my own selfish ideals or feelings. Amen

Janine Miller