Daily Dose 64: Behavior Sequence

Untold millions of times each day it happens. Indeed, over the course of your own family life, it may occur millions of times. Unlike breathing or heart beating, it will never be an autonomic response. Each sequence requires distinct, conscious attention. The accrued benefits are Everest-sized; the effort required before the benefits kick in, virtually insurmountable–and buried. Hidden under the debris of daily living, its value is constantly assaulted by schedules, expectations, activities, culture, and peer-pressure. It requires, literally, a twenty-four seven on-call focused expert to attend consistently to even a majority of the sequences. It is the obedience behavior sequence and it goes like this:

Behavior Sequence

1.  A life situation happens.
2. The authority has one opportunity to make a mature request, a command, or instruction in a normal, respectful tone to address the life situation.
3. The agent has one chance to respond with immediate, wholeheartedly compliance to the request, command or instruction.

When the agent compliantly responds, wonderful. Life moves onto the next obedience behavior sequence. No one ever has to wait long in the average family, another sequence opportunity is always on the horizon.

Think of everything, parent, you may have “requested” today: don’t splash the water out of the tub, don’t roll over when I’m trying to change you, pick up your toys, finish your math, clear the table, be home by ten, do what the Lord asks…

Consistent Intervention

Whenever the sequence breaks down, intervention is called for–no–required. The more consistently we deal with EVERY sequence break down, and the wiser our intervention, the more the accrued benefits of family living can be realized. Some of those accrued benefits are orderliness and peacefulness. While those alone may seem miraculous for some households, the real benefit is responsiveness. An entire family responsive to the Lord’s leading is a perpetual blessing.

Behavior Facilitator

So what’s the catch? Someone has to intervene EVERY time. It did not take long in my parenting career to realize I was not a diaper-changing, nursing, rocking machine falling behind on basic vacuuming and food preparation. I was a behavior facilitator. That sweet, adorable, precious little baby did not really know what the great God of the universe expected. Eating and sleeping well, and quiet play did make my life as steward easier, but even more important, it made HIS HOME more responsive to Him.

How Much are You Worth?

Frankly, any job offer for less than $500,000, and about twenty-six paid vacation weeks a year would not have been worth compromising all the energy, creative input, and attention required of a full-time behavior facilitator for the Lord’s next generation.