When to be impulsive

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK

Jesus, help me be impulsive only in good ways! Amen


WHEN TO BE IMPULSIVE

The people who hated Jesus made sure He was arrested and brought to their rulers, Pilate and Herod. Both found Jesus “not guilty,” but the people begged until Pilate let them take Him away to be killed.

As He walked up the hill to be crucified, Jesus’ followers cried; even a thief crucified with Jesus said He was innocent. But a few hours later, Jesus cried, “Father, I put my spirit into your hands,” and died.

Then people said, “This man did nothing wrong.”

Kids are impulsive. That means you often do things without thinking too much about what might happen as a result. You sort of know that if you throw a ball straight up, it might land on a roof; but you shrug that off and throw! You stop for just a second before saying something — then go ahead and tell someone, “I love you!”

As those examples — and this week’s Gospel (Luke 23:1-49) — show, being impulsive can have its good side and its bad side.

Sometimes, if you stop and think about whether to be joyful or helpful, you’ll get embarrassed and not do it. Other times, if you thought about what you were about to do (like name-calling or throwing that ball near a roof), you might save yourself some trouble!

The Gospel story is all about the bad part of being impulsive. Some people were so scared of Jesus, who was trying to get them to change their whole lives, that they just wanted to shut Him up. They even decided it was okay to kill Him.

When you’re being impulsive in a bad way, someone often points out that there will be trouble if you don’t stop. Many people pointed out that Jesus was innocent, but no one stopped Him from being killed.

Use your impulsiveness in a good way. Don’t stop yourself before telling anyone, “I love you.” Give someone a hug before you wonder if it’s a good idea. Remember what Easter is really about.