We were exiting a building. Just about 20 feet from the door, we saw the placard for the “Building Emergency Plan.” The frame was empty, just inky blackness staring back at us. I stopped to take a picture and then we went outside.
I’m not sure that a building Emergency Plan was necessary at that particular location. If there was any trouble, fire, intruder, earthquake or other act of God the only logical thing to do was rush outside. It was just three or four steps to be out in the open. No one, absolutely no one would pause to review the plan before acting. On impulse, people would flee the building.
It’s not a bad idea to have an emergency plan, in fact it’s a good idea, it's just that during an emergency there is no time to review the plan, there are just “blink responses.” My Dad worked at American Airlines. The last ten years of his career he trained pilots to deal with emergencies. They developed strategies to deal with the wind shear, with failed landing gear, for mechanical, electrical, and computer problems. In each instance, they attempted to teach the flight crew how to act instantly, without thinking, mostly by muscle memory, when certain emergencies arose. Seconds mattered. Following the procedure exactly mattered. Lives depend upon it.
Most of the emergencies we face are not so urgent that we can’t pause and think before we act, but occasionally we are confronted by a momentary opportunity that can pass quickly if we don’t know how to step in. Peter counsels us, “in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (I Peter 3:15-16).
I think our culture is in an emergency. The gap between the behavior of Jesus and the behavior of the people that say they follow Jesus seems to be widening. Almost every day we are faced with choices on how to act, how to respond, and what to say to others.
Jesus has given us the emergency plan. It is clear. It is always the first response we should have. We never have to think about it. It ought to be our muscle memory. It is encapsulated in John 3:16 - self giving love. In a crisis, in a confrontation, love is always the right next step.