…..was up and out at 5:30 this morning and as I drove of course I began to think. God made each one of us unique. We are who we are and we each adapt to life experiences as we experience them. Some of us adapt in a positive way and some of us may not.
We adapt to survive or to maintain. It’s like a blind persons sense of touch heightens to accommodate for lack of sight; or an animals fur thickens to survive in a harsh environment. Although these examples are of the physical nature, it’s also true for the mindset or thought process of people. Someone who has been taken advantage of due to being naive or too trusty more than likely will develop sensitivity and a defense to someone trying to take advantage of them. Someone who has continually been hurt in relationships may build a hard exterior or ‘wall of defense’ to protect their heart.
Sometimes we may utilize our defense mechanisms (or the behavior we have adapted to survive) when we don’t need to. For instance in the case of someone being hurt in a relationship, when someone tells them ‘I care about you’ they may shut down due to past experiences when someone told them that but lied. By shutting down without looking deeper, they could easily close someone out who genuinely cares about them.
Our life experience, beliefs, upbringing and intellect causes us to react differently and shapes our thought processes (mindset). A simple gesture to you may be viewed as an offensive gesture to someone else.
This is why it’s important not to be so quick to judge someone, get to know them to understand the ‘why’ behind the behavior. Just like our Father looks at the motives of our hearts…. train yourself to see beyond the surface and look deeper to understand the ‘heart’ (motive) of someones actions. #motives #lifeexperience #adaptation
“People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.” Proverbs 16:2 NLT
Journey Through My Life Lessons 