Reacting to Negative Stimuli

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” (-Charles Swindoll)

Sigh! I do not want to hear this right now! If you told me that life was 70% what happens to me and 30% how I reacted to it—I could accept that. Surely my circumstances are more responsible for my misery than my reactions!

The road that encircles my neighborhood is full of ruts and potholes. The Homeowners Association is responsible for its repair and maintenance. Every few years they patch the pot holes, but heavy rains tend to wash out the repair work. Since I drive down this road regularly, I should know where the potholes are—but sometimes I’m not paying attention or I’m driving too fast, and my tires get caught in these holes.

We all have fissures and fractures that we have attempted to patch up and pave over. Negative stimuli, like extreme weather, tend to wash out our repair work and expose our holes. Mental fatigue leads to inattention, which, in turn, causes us to get caught in the same ruts and crevices over and over again. It’s just a matter of time before we feel punctured, deflated, and stuck.

Do I have the power to choose how I respond to negative stimuli?

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” (-Victor Frankl)

We know, from experience, where the potholes are likely to be in our lives. The weak places, the low-lying areas which tend to get washed out during storms of adversity. There are spaces between the potholes in our life. We have to carefully maneuver our responses—drive slowly on whatever small patches of pavement are left.