What Would You DROP EVERYTHING For?

Morning Meditation: Taking the High Road

Some of our temperaments are geared towards finishing what we start. If we begin a project, we don’t stop until it is finished. Others of us tend to jump around from thing to thing. I don’t know if it is Attention Deficit Disorder or what, but staying on one thing is mind-numbing.

I love adventures! And my mom used to accuse me of having “Go” as my middle name. If there was ever a chance that fun was to be had or travel might be involved, I was all in. That did not change as I aged. I’ve always been ready and willing to drop everything if a good time was in the plan.

Typically, when we “drop everything,” it is because either a significant crisis has happened and it needs our immediate and full attention. Or, something amazing happens, and we immediately drop everything else to enjoy the “new thing.”

No matter which cause, dropping everything signifies urgency and importance.

How ready and willing are you to drop everything if someone is angry with you? Does it gnaw at your soul and leave you in turmoil if someone is upset? Or do you blow it off, assume it is their problem, and continue as if nothing is wrong? Or . . . do you deal with it somewhere in the middle of the two previously mentioned solutions?

Sometimes I am willing to drop everything if someone’s upset with me. But – frankly, it depends on who the “someone” is. Like many of you, I qualify my actions based on my feelings.

Interestingly, Jesus does not encourage that. It is just the opposite.

According to him, if we want to live a life of peace and happiness, we need to be ready and drop everything to confront difficult people and difficult situations.

When he was teaching about anger, he told them if they were coming to worship and make it to the temple to give their offering, but if they knew someone was upset with them, they needed to drop everything.

That would have seemed obscene to the listener because some traveled for hundreds of miles (and weeks) to get to Jerusalem. And Jesus was telling them, “If you get here and someone is upset with you, you need to drop everything to go make it right.”

No doubt we have lists of people and situations that we would drop everything for. I’m not sure if someone upset you made the list, but if we want full lives, Kingdom of Heaven and Earth lives, then we need to be willing to drop everything. Go talk with the other person. And see how that is received. It might take some time and more than one conversation, but you’ll never regret dropping everything to try to bring about a peaceful resolution. Because remember, when it is all said and done, and there is nothing left but a story to tell, what do you want your story to be?

My best guess is we can never go wrong if we take the high road and, in difficult situations, be people of humility that are willing to drop everything!

“This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.” -Matthew 5:24-25