"Focus on Responses, Not Experiences"

Friday, May 20, 2011

By Randy Davis

I would encourage all of those who have been ardent backers of Governor Mike Huckabee to continue in supporting the Governor in fervent prayer as well as in keeping informed and involved with HuckPAC. Governor Huckabee is a unique individual with the wisdom and skills to lead others in a more hopeful direction. He is such a breath of fresh air in this toxic political climate that he truly stands alone as a flashing lighthouse on the shoreline. I realize many of us may seem to be "lost at sea' after his recent announcement, but HuckPAC can be our political refuge.

Remember that "suffering" will often seem to come from the people you would least expect. Our Lord was rejected by the very people whom He had taught and fed and healed. He was put to death by those who were more familiar with the Scriptures than anyone else. Suffering will also open up new sections of scripture to us allowing new insights to be revealed to us. It also can be God's way of freeing us from that which may hinder us.

When the three friends of Daniel were thrown into the fiery furnace, the only thing that actually burned were the ropes that tied them down. God's purpose is the same for us. He wants to free us from the multitude of cares which we think are essential, but which, in reality, only hinder us from true achievement.

When we humble ourselves through the suffering God allows, He gives us more grace both to respond to our offenders and to see new, rich insights in His Word. Humility is the basis of godliness. A godly response to those who offend us would be to recognize that God has only used their actions or decisions to put us through a "fire" that will be for our ultimate benefit if we respond to it and to them in the right way. God is far more concerned with our responses than he is with our experiences.

The reward of going through suffering and responding to it the right way is a new ability to understand the real needs of those around us. Before we go through the "fire" we may tend to regard Christian work or even political activities on the basis of it being merely an "organization" and people functioning as a part of it. But when the fire burns away the stubble of human achievement, we have a new ability to sense the real needs of the people around us. We can sense when they have been hurt, and they are able to sense that we would understand it if they told us about it.

It would be easy for me to look back over these past four years and conclude it has been a "waste of time" since the Governor decided not to run, at least for now. The hours and weeks and months I have put in, could hardly be tabulated. However, I do not see it as a fruitless endeavor. I fully understand the hurt many of you are still experiencing.

However, we must realize that God often works through these times of discouragement for a beneficial reason. As long as we think the person, or "situation" that has hurt us is acting independently, we can hardly help growing disillusioned and bitter. But as long as we realize that God purposely allowed that situation to occur, we will be able to gain a forgiving spirit.

When we go through the humbling experience of having been offended and react improperly towards that person or circumstance, we allow our pride to trample on the grace which God gave for the situation, and we are then left to our "own ways" thereafter since no new grace will be given to us until we humble ourselves again.

Anger is the opposite of meekness. We cannot have both in our life. Either we have one as our basic nature, or we have the other. Meekness is not a spineless kind of timidity. It is the "strength under control" that is needed in our culture. Meekness is where humility and self-control meet. It is the one quality most necessary to tame an out-of-control ego. As arrogance gives way to meekness, it is the cure for the countless ills that often hinder the quest for character. I believe Governor Mike Huckabee displays this rare trait, and we would do well to follow his lead.

Staying together and involved through HuckPAC can perhaps provide a shelter for that "strength under control" movement that America needs in these times that try men's souls.