Calm in a Crisis
Have you ever left church and thought, "Wow! That was exactly the sermon I needed to hear!"?
That was me on Sunday.
The sermon was about Abigail, a woman in the Bible who responded calmly to a crisis when everyone else was overreacting.
Our pastor, Andrew, is from Ireland, so he frequently introduces us to new cultural references in his sermons to illustrate his point. This week he referred to an insurance company from the UK whose slogan in the 80's was: "We won't make a drama out of a crisis." This is one of their commercials:
We experience crises on a regular basis. Today you may be having a small crisis -- an unexpected change of plans, for example -- or you may be having a bigger crisis, like the one in the video. But whether it is big or small, you get to decide how you will respond.
Will you make a drama out of a crisis? Or will you, like Abigail, respond with wisdom and calm in the midst of your storm?
One reason that Pastor Andrew suggested why we tend to make a drama out of a crisis is that we are taking responsibility for things that aren't our responsibility.
To demonstrate this he threw a tennis ball into the congregation. A man named Mark caught the ball.
Pastor Andrew: "Mark, why did you catch the ball?"
Mark: "Because it was coming right at me."
Like a tennis ball coming right at you, our tendency when life throws us the unexpected is to grab hold of the crisis and hang on. But, Pastor Andrew suggested, Mark had so many other options:
Last weekend, Comedian Michael Jr. came to our church and he also touched on personal responsibility. One of the things I love about Michael Jr. is that, in addition to making you laugh, he also makes you think.
If you find yourself making a drama out of a crisis, you may have to intentionally take a step back and let yourself dodge, duck, or drop a few balls.
Watch Pastor Andrew's full sermon online: https://youtu.be/CcLXmPUe_s8
That was me on Sunday.
The sermon was about Abigail, a woman in the Bible who responded calmly to a crisis when everyone else was overreacting.
Our pastor, Andrew, is from Ireland, so he frequently introduces us to new cultural references in his sermons to illustrate his point. This week he referred to an insurance company from the UK whose slogan in the 80's was: "We won't make a drama out of a crisis." This is one of their commercials:
We experience crises on a regular basis. Today you may be having a small crisis -- an unexpected change of plans, for example -- or you may be having a bigger crisis, like the one in the video. But whether it is big or small, you get to decide how you will respond.
Will you make a drama out of a crisis? Or will you, like Abigail, respond with wisdom and calm in the midst of your storm?
One reason that Pastor Andrew suggested why we tend to make a drama out of a crisis is that we are taking responsibility for things that aren't our responsibility.
To demonstrate this he threw a tennis ball into the congregation. A man named Mark caught the ball.
Pastor Andrew: "Mark, why did you catch the ball?"
Mark: "Because it was coming right at me."
Like a tennis ball coming right at you, our tendency when life throws us the unexpected is to grab hold of the crisis and hang on. But, Pastor Andrew suggested, Mark had so many other options:
He could have ducked. Or dodged. He could have dropped the ball. He could have deflected the ball, hitting it in someone else's direction. Or, like a game of hot potato, he could have caught it and immediately thrown it right back to Pastor Andrew.We too have multiple options when faced with a crisis. Some are ours to grab and confront. But not every crisis is ours to grab hold of. Some are meant for others to address. And we'll all be more calm in a crisis if we each take responsibility only for those that are ours to grab.
Last weekend, Comedian Michael Jr. came to our church and he also touched on personal responsibility. One of the things I love about Michael Jr. is that, in addition to making you laugh, he also makes you think.
"Say you have two bottles of water and you see someone who is thirsty; what should you do?" he asked.It may feel irresponsible or selfish to dodge a crisis. It may feel uncomfortable to not have control over every situation. It may even be painful to have to distance yourself from someone in need. But not every crisis is yours to solve.
"Give the person both bottles of water," we all replied, thinking that would be the "Christian thing to do."
"Wrong," he said. "You should pray. Because maybe God wants you to give the person one bottle, or both bottles, or maybe he wants you to keep on walking because there is another person behind you and he wants that person to be the one to give the thirsty person a drink."
If you find yourself making a drama out of a crisis, you may have to intentionally take a step back and let yourself dodge, duck, or drop a few balls.
Watch Pastor Andrew's full sermon online: https://youtu.be/CcLXmPUe_s8
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