Flinching

I was thinking this morning about flinching. An unconscious reaction to present circumstances that remind us on some level of past instances of hurt.

Young boys are teased by their peers if they flinch. It is a natural sign of weakness. It reveals a tendency to retreat instead of attack back in like kind or keep cool. Such weakness disqualifies respect.

Here is a great passage.

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.' " - Daniel 3:16-18 ESV

The three Hebrew boys knew that fire was a hazardous thing. But they had a unnatural confession when faced with the prospect of being thrown in the fire. God had saved them on the inside so it didn't matter to them if He saved them on the outside.

God's grace was larger than the situation to these three boys. They faced the possibility of injury but confessed God's ability. Grace puts God and people under no obligation but it magnifies God's ability and His goodness.

When we face similar situations and circumstance to ones that hurt us in the past we can have this mindset. When grace is made real to us and we embrace our Savior's goodness we are saved on the inside and we are not the same. Grace gives us a capacity to be delivered or to endure injury but either way facing the situation with a great big God changes our subconscious associations. Pain no longer has power over us.

Instead of saying, 'Wow, I'll never do that again.' we can say, 'I'll do what is needed when it is needed because God is with me and will be with me.'

Receiving grace shuts the mouth of the bully and takes away his ammunition in that area also... a pleasant side benefit. {smile}

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