Code Red

I had a Code Red day this week. A day when I didn't need to just read my Bible I needed it to be from Jesus himself so I looked for the words in red (in most Bibles if Jesus is speaking the words are in red ink)
I'm in a blind faith phase again and I had a particularly challenging day with my parents and then the next day a run in with a very difficult person in my life whose name I will with hold in case something happens to him I'm not a suspect :) To put it in a nut shell I was emotionally fatigued. I kept trying to remind myself what I wrote in an earlier jewel about God carries us and not the other way around but to be honest I felt the weight of my whole world on my shoulders. I as always spilled my guts out to God and told on the people that were ticking me off and felt more than justified that He should annihilate them. Kind of harsh I know but honest. After pleading my case I went to my Bible to look for my red letter words of comfort and validation and this is what I got.
Matthew 7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
 3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend,‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
I gotta tell you if I had a plank I would have slapped someone with it! Later my friend Cathy and I laughed picturing a long plank coming out of my eye and my head swinging taking people out in every direction. I could not believe this was what I got. Did Jesus not hear what I told Him? I was in Code Red I needed help. I had been wronged by every other persons standards and Jesus was supposed to side with me. Why is He picking on me? I'm the good guy in this story.
Have you ever felt that way? Like you brought something before the Lord and He turned on you? Why do I have to be the one who gets slammed I'm the one always trying to do the right thing!
I of course immediately put my Bible away and called my friend who understood my pain. She assured me that based on the actions of these people I had no choice but to react the way I did. Of course those words sent me reeling back to reality. It's true we are not responsible for how someone else behaves or the outcome of their decisions but we are totally responsible for how we react. Looking back over the chain of events I knew I should have just kept quiet left the scene of the crime and let God deal with the situation. The beauty of God is you can confess temporary insanity, repent and get off with a warning. I apologized to the innocent parties that were wounded and prayed for the less innocent parties that again will go nameless.
I continued to pray for the Lord to give me wisdom and help in what I call my “doubt areas” and as always He came through for me in a grand way. He's such a showoff :) After I settled all these matters in my heart I decided to give the Lord another chance at the red letter thing and this is what He gave me.
 7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
 9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
The Golden Rule
 12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
God is faithful to give us what we need whether it's Code Red or just everyday life but we have to be prepared to accept whatever message the Lord wants to give us. He may encourage and He may discipline. Take my advice don't look for someone to agree with you just take the lesson and move forward.
The bottom line is it all comes back to decisions. God decided to send Jesus, Jesus decided to die for us, we decide to accept Him or not. We decide how we will react to EVERY situation that comes our way. Someone cut you off while driving, you were lied to, cheated on, passed up for a promotion, not given due respect or accolades, had your feelings hurt, whatever the scenario you have a choice as to how you will respond whether it's just a drill or an all out Code Red.
2Corinthians 9:8 and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Definition of abound; to have or possess in great quantity; to be filled to capacity; be fully supplied.
All code reds can be properly handled by red letters!