084: Are You Redemptive or Reactionary?

It's common to see your relationships, your circumstances, or your life in general from one of two perspectives.

I suggest that you see things as they are through either a redemptive or reactionary lens.

By redemptive, I'm referring to seeing potential and productive alternatives to what currently is.

Being reactionary would be quite the opposite as in merely seeing what is without thought for what could be.

Redemption would imply change or in the spiritual sense, salvation.

Redemption is essentially a force that operates outside of you but practically within your circle of influence.

To the contrary, reaction is a choice you personally make but often without considering favorable or productive outcomes.

The longer I live the more I'm inclined to take a redemptive approach to life rather than impulsively reacting to what I encounter.

It takes an amount of pause to avoid the typical knee-jerk reaction but the calming effect of a more patient, redeeming response I'm finding to be far more beneficial

Think about it - how many relationships, moments, or legacies could be helped and healed with more redeeming actions and less thoughtless reactions.

I believe taking the redemptive approach could shift the landscape in ways that knee-jerk (or being-a-jerk) reactions couldn't possibly do.

It's time to pause and give redemption room to work it's magic in your life.

• Redeem your relationships
• Redeem your time
• Redeem your legacy

Give redemption room to work in your relationships

Mistakes or bad choices give you an opportunity to be reactive or redemptive.

A child, grandchild, spouse, loved one, or friend goes off-the-rails and you're forced to choose between reacting or redeeming.

Being reactive in most relational situations usually worsens whatever fractures or wounds that exist.

Redemption, on the other hand, has the potential to create beneficial discoveries that lead to help and healing - and much better relationships.

Your personal story, like those in the lives of your relationships, are works-in-progress.

Mistakes, bad choices, and relational-riffs while disappointing, concerning, or scary are also capable of being rewritten when you give redemption room to work.

• Bite your tongue to keep yourself from reacting verbally.
• Listen first, speak second (and primarily after you've gained understanding).
• Believe the best instead of magnifying the worst.

Make the most of your time with a redemptive mindset

Time is fleeting but it's also capable of being redeemed.

Redemption as relates to your time involves creating margin.

I define margin as the space you guard for the good, important, priority stuff.

Those definitions could apply in a variety of ways depending on how you're feeling about your available time.

When my time margins get squeezed I tend to get a bit...well...edgy and cranky (at least that's what I'm told by those who are around me the most...wink...wink).

I do my best to protect those margins by redeeming them rather than reacting to the squeeze that occasionally occurs.

• Be as intentional as possible with your time while also allowing for marginal moments (those unseen or unfortunate urgencies that arise).
• Make the most of your moments by being fully present (that means eyes up on the people, places, or things you're engaged with...not down in your phone, etc).
• Redeem a lost moment by prioritizing the next best action of recovery (could be an apology, a reminder to reconnect or circle-back, etc.)

Repair your legacy through redemptive renewal

You're probably familiar with the, "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mindset.

As far as redemption vs. reaction is concerned it's best fix it if it is indeed broken.

We all make mistakes.

Some have momentary or short-lived consequences while others do damage to our reputation and eventually our legacy if...we don't apply some redemptive renewal.

This is most relevant to your reputation but certainly your relationships.

The hurts you pack and carry become baggage you have to check on a routine basis.

I like to travel light as often as possible so I rarely check my bags when flying.

I'm a one, maybe two bag dude when I travel for the most part.

I prefer the same when it comes to relational baggage.

I like to avoid relational loose-ends, misunderstandings, or festering issues that grow more infected overtime.

How?

• Be the first - as in taking steps to mend, heal, or rebuild the relationship.
• Make the call, start the conversation, admit the fault, take ownership of your role (if any) in what's broken.
• Stay humble being confident that humility isn't weakness its a bold decision to remain open to change.

These redemptive actions can repair a legacy that's been damaged or broken by too much relational baggage.

React or redeem - the choice is yours but the relational, time, and legacy equity you build relies on less knee-jerk and more patient redemption

• Redeem your relationships
• Redeem your time
• Redeem your legacy

And...speaking of "time redemption," I'll be taking some time-off next week. So, I'll connect with you again the following week.

Until then,

Press on...

Eddie