When I was young, I used to play football. One of the lessons I remember about playing football was that you wanted your game to be proactive and not reactive. You wanted your opponents on their heels, having to adjust themselves to what you were doing rather than the other way around. It was one of the keys to victory.
I was sitting around the other day thinking to myself, why is it that I do the things that I do? That led me to this other thought of whether I was being proactive or reactive. Each and every waking moment we spend in life, we are being either one or the other. We are either causing people to react to what we say or do, or we are reacting to what others are saying or doing. Neither is good or bad in and of itself. It just is. It is the nature of interaction.
When a person is proactive, they are making a particular choice. Let's take something simple. You are in a room with your family, and you stand up and announce, "I am going to the store". You have done something proactive and decided to do something. Everyone else has now been placed in a position to react. They can go with, ask you to get them something, ignore you, laugh at you, whatever. But, what you have done is to set the agenda. Now, you may be able to compromise a little on the details based on others reactions, but you have set the direction.
What if the situation were more complicated? A number of years ago, I had a health problem arise. It was pretty serious, at least to me. I just had no clue what the problem was, why it was happening, what to do to fix it, or even wondered if I would survive it. I went to see a doctor. they ran tests and mumbled some things I could not understand and offered me some pills. I suppose I could have just been reactive and taken the pills and left it at that. I was not satisfied with that. I became proactive and sought a specific diagnosis. I studied, got other opinions, And by the time of my last doctor visit, I pretty much was able to give the doctor a complete rundown of my symptoms, how and when they occurred, and what those symptoms seemed to indicate and a possible plan of action on how to improve it. The last Doc just kind of agreed with me and again offered me medication I already learned would not work.
I guess what I am saying is that it is hard to be proactive in situations where you are not knowledgeable. My reaction to something was to become proactive through study, educating myself. This again goes back to my opening football analogy. You could not be proactive on the field if you did not understand the game. You had to have an idea of what you want to accomplish, how to get there, and an understanding of the opposition, and what they were trying to do.
It is in this latter point that I think that many Christians are failing these days. They are either totally reactive, basing their ideas and actions bouncing off surrounding events; or they are trying to be proactive, but don't understand the game, have no plan of action, and no understanding of their adversaries. Both are recipes for failure. You end up looking like uninformed complainers, offering no hope, and appearing hypocritical, not practicing what they preach.
The bible says, 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. As believers we should know our playbook, understand our plan of action, and be able to effectively implement the plays. I'm not talking about formulaic responses, but truly understanding What God wants and expects and putting that to play in our lives. Truly living for God is proactive and will cause a response in others.
Why is this the case? The word itself explains this, Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. When we live out the word in our lives, and share our lives with others, it will naturally cause others to react to it, one way or the other. It will either draw people in, or push them away.
The end game for the believer should be the same as God's in the 2nd half of 2 Peter 3:9 ..., not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. We should all be playing some role within the body of Christ towards that end. We do that most importantly by being obedient ourselves to that which God has called us to do, living rightly, using whatever talents and interests God has given us for the furtherance of the gospel. Each of us has been given individual abilities, superpowers as it were, that we can use in His service. Some pray, some preach, some provide, some sing, some clean up the mess, whatever. It all goes to make the team run effectively. That pass play won't work if the receiver runs the wrong route, or the lineman makes the wrong read and misses the blitzing linebacker.
Our touchdown is Jesus. When we can lead someone to the foot of the cross and they accept Jesus as their Lord and savior, that is our score. And the crowd goes wild! Luke 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. v10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
john3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. This is the gospel message. It is the goal of the plan, the end game of the playbook. Our whole lifestyle should be proactive in leading people to make this decision.
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