reactionary

As the quiet rain is falling, I am surrounded by the fragrance of Earl Grey tea and scones baking in the oven.
Nothing could be lovelier.
As it is Mother's Day, you would think I would be sharing thoughts on mothers and how dear they are and how we cannot exist without them. While all of that is true, that's really not what's on my mind.
The other day my mom and I were having a discussion. That sounds like a way to disguise a fight, but we really were just discussing things. Disagreeing on some things, agreeing on others. It's kind of a normal happening.
Anyway, we were talking about how humans, just like anything else in the world, are generally reactionary. Especially when it comes to my generation's thoughts on the church, reactions could not play a bigger part.
Newton's law of motion (roughly... I learned it in middle school) states that for every action there is an equal or opposite reaction.
Humankind generally follows this law. We, like time, are always in motion, even when we feel we are stagnating.  Generally, children raised in strict church environments do one of two things: they abandon the church, or they follow faithfully in their parents footsteps. I say generally, because there are some exceptions to the "law". Children raised in loose churches or a non-church environment tend to reach out for more structure, or stay the same as always. So often, the reactions are largely said to be to the "church". In truth, the youth are reacting to the sinfulness of man (found everywhere) and the ultimate authority God has over our lives. I find this pattern in my own life and in my own heart. C.S. Lewis nails this human condition when he describes himself: "what mattered most of all was my deep-seated hatred of authority, my monstrous individualism, my lawlessness (Surprised by Joy, 171)." Our reactions are almost always dictated by our own or other's actions. Especially when Christ isn't involved, this sense of reactionism becomes heightened.
Why does this matter? Well, our reactionary nature makes it ever more wonderful that we don't serve a reactionary God. He reacts, yes. But His reactions are neither completely "equal or opposite". They're uniquely perfect and Holy, "faithful and just". He sees our sin and is not surprised. He sees the Son who died and loves us deeply because of the Son's bloodshed. His reaction is barely what's defined as a reaction, it's more like a positive reaction.
What a breathtaking picture of how God defies laws of man. Sorry Newton, you couldn't hold Him in.