We rehearse what we’re going to say all the time, don’t we? We may have a mental dialog about a meeting presentation we have to give later that day, or about an important phone call we have to make. Or maybe we rehearse what we’re going to say to convince our spouse of that vacation we’ve been thinking about or remodeling the house. Sometimes we even take a deep breath and whisper to ourselves, “You’ve got this.”
And we definitely rehearse when we’re going to give someone a piece of our mind! “If he says anything to me about it, I’m going to tell him…” “She even brings that up and…” Even if we wouldn’t really say it to them, it makes us feel empowered, doesn’t it? “I’m not going to take that anymore!”
The problem with rehearsing is that what we practice we tend to do. So, while we may not intend to actually tell our cubie mate that they need to shut up, we’ve rehearsed it so many times, that one day it leaks out. And then what?
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
We can’t put that back in the box, can we?
Instead of rehearsing how we can look out for our own interests and defending ourselves, what if we rehearsed the love of Jesus, showing grace and mercy? “The next time she tells me the paperwork needs corrected, I’m going to apologize and ask her when it needs to be done.”
What? Well, that sounds like…
They’re going to take advantage of us? Maybe. However, a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1; NKJV). It’s still better to err on the side of grace, right?
But they don’t deserve it! Neither do we and Christ did it anyway.
Maybe we should reflect on who we’re worried about in our rehearsal, ourselves or others.
Paul reminds us that if there is anything good, to think on those things. And that nothing should be done through selfishness or conceit. We should be humble and consider others better than ourselves. We’re always concerned with our own interests, but we need to be concerned about others as well (Philippians 2:1-5).
And Paul continues on how Jesus was equal with God, took on human form and humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:5-10). Jesus humbled Himself to His Father’s will, and God took care of Him. If we’re in Christ, God will take care of us. And if God is taking care of us, shouldn’t we help care for others?
I know this is easier said than done.
The next time we find ourselves rehearsing, maybe we should reflect on who we’re worried about in our rehearsal, ourselves or others. Maybe we could ask Jesus to teach us how to rehearse love, grace, and mercy. As Christians, sometimes we just expect these qualities to be given to us, but sometimes we have to do the work (work out our salvation). Maybe we need to mentally practice these qualities. After all, practice makes perfect!
Then when our rehearsals leak out, God will be glorified.