The Right Dose
THE RIGHT DOSE
Most of you know that I have been dealing with myasthenia gravis, a relatively rare autoimmune disorder. It affects my body in several ways, but for me, it most often shows up in my eyes and causes double vision.
One of the things my doctor and I are constantly working through is medication. The goal is to find the lowest dose that actually works.
A larger dose usually brings more side effects, but it does not always bring better results. Sometimes it simply gives you more of what you do not want.
So we adjust. We watch. We pay attention. We look for the dose that helps without costing more than it gives.
I have begun to believe that much of life works the same way.
The older I get, and perhaps the wiser I get, depending on whom you ask, the more measured I have become. I once thought strength meant responding quickly and forcefully. Say what needs to be said. Push harder. Make something happen.
Now I understand that a stronger response does not always produce a better result. Sometimes it only produces more damage.
I have watched people turn disagreements into broken relationships because they could not stop pushing. I have watched reasonable concerns grow into paralyzing fear because someone kept feeding them. I have watched confidence become arrogance and conviction harden into cruelty.
The original concern may have been legitimate. The response simply became larger than the situation required.
Sometimes we become so determined to make everyone see the world as we do that we stop seeing the people themselves. Every conversation becomes a debate, and in our effort to pull people closer to our position, we push them farther away from us.
People are not problems to be solved, and agreement should never be the price of a relationship.
A measured response is a fitting response. Sometimes it must be firm. Sometimes it should be gentle. Sometimes it requires an uncomfortable conversation. Sometimes it requires the discipline to remain silent until the emotion has passed.
Wisdom is knowing the difference.
John described Jesus as being “full of grace and truth.” He confronted what was wrong, but He was never controlled by the moment. He knew when to speak, when to show mercy, and when to walk away.
There was strength in His restraint.
My doctor and I will keep working to find the right dose for my body. And I will keep asking God to help me find the right response in the rest of my life.
The response that heals more than it harms, helps more than it costs, and reflects both grace and truth.
The wisest one.
If this spoke to you, share it with someone who may need it today.
#FirstLight #TheRightDose #Wisdom #Maturity #Faith #Restraint