Your Reaction Is Revealing

Why are we so drawn to the sinking ship? When the conversation goes downhill, and the comments start to turn south, why do we try to jump on like its the last time down the sledding hill?

Why is it easier to join the negativity, and engage with the lazy cynic instead of holding our ground and considering that we might have something to learn, or even at the very least something new to encounter?

Over and over again, we have the chance to respond or react. To respond is to take it in, hear the critique and examine it. A reaction often comes after assuming the worst, half listening, and finishing their thought. We’ve heard this before, we know what comes next and what we say next… we barely need to think. It solidifies our rightness and their wrongness.

Whether in politics, business, in our marriage or faith community… how we respond to our critic often reveals much more about us than the validity of the critique.