Proverbs 21.5
“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”
The Christian life is lived in the rough-and-tumble, never-ending situations and challenges of the real world. When I study and teach the bible, I continually think about the Christian people who are listening to the messages. The single mom trying to hold down a job while raising two kids. The worker on the shop floor. The college student. The young couple with a toddler. The soccer coach. The stay-at-home mom. The fifth grade teacher. The truck driver. The retiree. The guy who just got laid off. The manager of the department. The CEO.
All of these people are navigating a variety of events in their lives, and they are seeking to produce certain outcomes. This is why E+R=O is a helpful framework. It reflects the nature of the world that God has created, and it is a practical resource that helps us to respond with wisdom to the events and circumstances of life.
E+R=O provides a simple but powerful system for the application of scripture to any situation we face. The most effective responses are discipline-driven; which means they are intentional, on-purpose, and skillful.
The first discipline that we need in order to respond with wisdom to any given situation is “Press Pause.” Press pause is wisdom in action because it gives you time to gain clarity about the Event you are experiencing, the Outcome you are pursuing, and options for how to Respond. If you don’t press pause, you make yourself highly vulnerable to reacting on the basis of impulse or autopilot.
Pressing pause helps you gain clarity; it helps you find and focus on what matters; it allows you to use time to think, pray, apply scripture, and get input from others. It gives you time to be intentional and purposeful about what you say and how you act in response to situations.
We often get into trouble because we act impulsively and without thinking. That is the warning in the Proverb quoted at the top. One of the modern translations renders the verse this way: “A well-thought-out plan will work to your advantage, but hasty actions will cost you dearly.”
Wise people press pause and think and gain clarity before they respond. Foolish people are impetuous and act impulsively.
“Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” (Proverbs 19.2)
