Designed to Trip Off
[Disclaimer: I’m most likely using the wrong terminology and even incorrect concepts, but this is how I interpreted our situation and applied it to prayer.]
An explosion woke me out of a deep sleep a few weeks ago.
Groggy, I wandered to the patio door to see what made the noise. I was greeted by a grand display of throbbing, glowing, and crackling light created by a 36,000 volt power line, not 30 feet from our bedroom.
The downed line was live and whipping around in the air throwing off yellow and blue flames and sparks in a small wooded area.
Immediately I woke hubby and called 911.
We met many neighbors on our back porch that night. Some were fearful of what might happen and quickly returned home. Others were curious and wondered how it would affect their own electric. A few were recording or live streamed to social media. [Here’s mine.]
All were mesmerized by the spectacle and in agreement that they had never seen anything like it before.
The first responders were on site in about 20 minutes. They assessed the situation, shut off the power, and put out the fire. It was over and done in about 3 hours.
The next day the electric company showed up to replace the line. I spoke with the ground leader who said that it was unusual for the line to remain live like it did.
Normally the system is designed to trip off if a line breaks… similar to a breaker box in the house. This keeps damage to a minimum and inhibits fire. He wasn’t sure why the system didn’t work as it should have.
After a few hours the new line was up and the crew was gone but the conversation with the electric guy stayed with me; so I took it to prayer.
We’re very much like that electric line – we were designed to trip off.
Bear with me.
God created us with free will. We can choose how to live, what to eat, how to react, what to think, etc. Our ‘will’ was meant to control our body, emotions, and our intellect; and yet things seem upside-down. We allow our body, emotions, and intellect to drive our will.
Sin, concupiscence (*see definition below), and the evil one have convinced us that the latter is okay. We think to ourselves, “Just do what makes you feel good.”
But every action has repercussions; some more spiritually dangerous than others. And, contrary to the mindset that ‘its okay as long as I’m not hurting anybody’… all actions have a ripple effect. Others do get hurt.
For example:
I desire a Dairy Queen Dilly Bar, but I’m allergic to lactose.
Even with that knowledge and the understanding that I will suffer the consequences later, I let my hankering for the sweet treat rule my will. In a moment of weakness I consume the Dilly Bar.
My bodily desire ruled my will.
The effects of that scenario were a tummy ache and a caloric intake that was totally unnecessary. And, as far as my choice affecting others, I could go into the fact that my husband also suffered but I’ll leave that one alone.
Other, more damaging examples can found all around, in the news, our communities and families, and most likely – if we’re willing to be honest – in our own hearts.
Have you ever gotten so angry that you just ‘let it fly’ without thinking; you say something you later regret. Or end up spewing hateful words which then ignite retaliation?
Little sparks become a torrent of flames that consume you and everyone around.
Moments, days, even years later when you’ve had time to reflect you feel shame, guilt. You’re frustrated because you’re really not ‘that person’. You wish you could go back to act differently.
I believe it’s happened to every human being at some point in their life. We may experience a perceived injustice and follow that feeling (valid or not) by lashing out without thinking. Our emotions rule our will.
In such situations, if the will was doing the ruling, we might take a step back, recognize the injustice and take action (or inaction) in a way that does no further damage and may even provide a moment of healing and grace for the self and others around.
The older I get the more important the practice of self-mastery becomes apparent. Although not easily done; which is why, I suppose, it’s called “practice”.
In Sacred Scripture, St. Paul offers a clear teaching to the new Christians in Ephesus:
So I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance, because of their hardness of heart, they have become callous and have handed themselves over to licentiousness for the practice of every kind of impurity to excess.
Ephesians 4:17-24
That is not how you learned Christ, assuming that you have heard of Him and were taught in Him, as truth is in Jesus, that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on* the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.
We’re living in ‘hot topic’ times. Those who consider someone to be on the opposing side of an issue often feel free to spew and spark, flare and flame. To the extreme – violence may be incited and actions rationalized.
As followers of Jesus it is our responsibility to be grounded, thoughtful, and act in a manner that is worthy of the name Christian. Let your will trip out that automatic response. Take custody of your thoughts and allow your will to rule your actions.
I’ll try to do the same.
Pray for me as I pray for you!
[* From the Catechism of the Catholic Church #1264 "Yet certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized, such as suffering, illness, death, and such frailties inherent in life as weaknesses of character, and so on, as well as an inclination to sin that Tradition calls concupiscence, or metaphorically, "the tinder for sin"; since concupiscence "is left for us to wrestle with, it cannot harm those who do not consent but manfully resist it by the grace of Jesus Christ." Indeed, "an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.""]
What are your thoughts?