How Would You React When Faced with a Spiritual Emergency?
“While we are called to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what duly belongs to Him, we are still faced with the dilemma of what our report cards would show on judgement day…”
A new day has come with a new opportunity to make new decisions as the possibility of facing new challenges is somewhat inevitable. This is the world we live in, no one knows tomorrow let alone what could happen the next second of the next minute.
For someone like me every situation is a spiritual emergency. As a journalism student, I learned and applied the ethical principle “situational analysis” many times. When browsing through the mutually exclusive and justifiable options like: the” antinomian”, (that is, going against the norms- the one who uses the end to justify the means); the “absolutist” (straight-jacket conservative who sticks to the rules and is never ready to go against policy even if it’s for a good cause) and the “situationist” (the one who weighs and considers before making a decision) considerations in media law and ethics. This implies making decisions that respect the norms of your practice, making decisions that would earn you the results your media organisation expects you to achieve. But most often such results are not always in line with God’s ethical expectations of us.
While we are called to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what duly belongs to Him, we are still faced with the dilemma of what our report cards would show on judgement day. We might very well have lived a very economically successful life here on earth, but how about eternity? I mentioned last week in an article I posted on my website entitled How Best Is Your Best the need for us to do our best before expecting God to do the rest. Often, we expect God to do His best while we go around doing our worst.
So as we go out today, let’s be prepared because we might not return the same. As you go out for grocery shopping and other errands today, be mindful that you may find yourself in an unexpected situation that requires spiritual emergency intervention. The situation could require that you act immediately by making an instantaneous decision which you may or may not regret later. I urge you to stop for a minute and think about how you would react in the following situations:
- What would you do if you just found out you had been adopted 30 years ago into a poor family and your biological parents were the rich couple you always admired in your neighbourhood?
- What would you do if you found out that the hungry baby whom you offered a banana to on your way from work was actually your own blood from an old relationship you had abandoned?
- What would you do if you were found to be the only match to donate bone marrow tissue or blood to rescue not only a serial killer, but an evil uncle who confiscated your late father’s property and chased away your widowed mother, leaving her at the mercy of strangers?
- What would you do if the long awaited employment opportunity you had been praying for turns out to be a job at the strip-club, with the mafia, a lucrative offer by the illuminati or a “harmless deal with the most successful drug Lord in Mexico? Would you still believe this was a God-given opportunity?
- What would you do if you were lost in a dark tunnel in an isolated unknown country and the first person that showed up to rescue you was your worst enemy?
- What would you do if you saw someone dropping their wallet and in an attempt to alert them, you realised from the photo ID that it belongs to the man or woman who destroyed your marriage?
- What would you do if you went into the supermarket and bumped into a strange woman shopping from a long list and the man paying for it was none other than the father of your children (whose children are starving at home)?
- What would you do when you realise that the confession you made to a priest had become public news in the church choir, among the elders and even on the streets?
- What would you do if you found out that the same person whom you had been sharing your problems with was the same person recycling your tears?
- What would you do if you realised that you had accused someone falsely?
- What would you do if you realised that someone who had once threatened your life is visiting your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles everyday?
- What would you do if you turned around in the church pews during Holy Communion and the person sitting next to you was the one who poisoned you last month?
- What would you do if you woke up in the morning and found yourself on your dying bed?
- What would you do if you were asked to choose between a lottery ticket and Jesus?
- What would you do if you were told that the only way for you to be employed on a fulltime basis, with unlimited benefits, and complete employment security but on one condition: that you denounce Christ and everything that relates to God?
- What would you do if you received a call from an ex-boyfriend, fiancé, girlfriend, neighbour who had broken your heart, just for them to be telling you about an opportunity for you to follow your dreams and the opportunity is one they are ready to sponsor? Would your pride or humility be the deal-breaker?
- Now this last one will make you laugh: What would you do if you found yourself in an accident and the only number you could dial on your cellphone belonged to your boss who had no idea you were traveling because you had called in sick and was supposed to be in bed all day?
I would love to hear your answers, leave a comment. Until then, may the Holy Spirit guide you in every decision you make today and forever so that God’s name will be glorified in everything you do. Do not forget that Jesus had a choice not to die on that cross, yet he did it for us all, so we would know how best to make our choices when challenges come our way.
LIA!
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Irine Lum Asanji (aka LIA) is a freelance writer and journalist based in Brampton, Canada. Born and raised in Cameroon the daughter and sister of Pastors, LIA immigrated to Canada in 2006. She holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism (University of Buea, Cameroon) and a postgraduate degree in Visual Anthropology (University of Tromso, Norway). She has worked as a journalist and Communication Officer with the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC). LIA recently designed and launched a website talktolia.com geared towards Marriage and Family enrichment services, which serves as her ministry and her private business. She is an employee with Broan-Nutone Canada and became born-again in 2011 making her more evangelistic in her approach to writing. She speaks English, French, German and Norwegian. She is a mother of two and enjoys singing, cooking, dancing and a good laugh. She writes under her name and her pen name LIA which also means Lord Is Able.
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