"Git'er done!"

John 18:10-11   "So Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  The slave's name was Malchus.  Jesus said to him, "Put the sword into the sheath.  The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?"

Fix it.  It's a "guy thing".  It's in our DNA.  That's how we're wired.  We see a problem.  Okay, let's fix it.  As the good ol' boys say," Let's git'er done!"   

Peter was like that.  He saw a problem.  He had a solution.  Judas had just led the temple guard into the Garden of Olives and they were about to take Jesus away.  Peter's reaction?  Stop them.  Not considering the odds, he unsheathed his sword and began to solve the problem.

Jesus' response to Peter is the same for me when I rush in and try to fix things.  "Stop!  You're going to mess up My plan."  What if Peter's reaction had successfully thwarted the arrest and subsequent crucifixion of Jesus?  I don't even want to think about that!  What Peter saw as a problem was actually a key component of God's plan.

Some problems are "no-brainers".  We encounter a fire.  We put it out.  We see a mugger attacking an older lady.  We stop him.  We see a child in danger.  We rescue him.  Other problems are not quite so cut and dry. 

How can we know when to act and when to wait?  Not an easy answer.  The key is to be in constant communication with God.  Spending time regularly reading and contemplating His Word, listening and talking with Him continually, consciously asking Him for discernment and guidance... this makes us sensitive to the Holy Spirit's direction.  It helps us to sense when to do something and when to get out of the way.

Lord, I don't want to get in the way of Your plan.  Please temper my inclination to fix things with a sensitivity to Your will.  I give myself and my day to You and I will depend on You to guide my response to every situation I encounter.