Morning Devotional
November  23, 2005
"Green and Red Buttons"       
    by Don Emmitte

Even while we were with you, we gave you this rule: "Whoever does not work should not eat." (2 Thessalonians 3: 10 NLT).


Have you read of any of the experiments using various animals to pattern behaviors? I read of one where pigeons were put in cages with one green and one red button. In one cage, if the birds pecked the green button they got food every time. In the other, the green button yielded food erratically and the pigeons had to persist to get enough food. In both cases, pecking the red button did nothing. Both sets of birds thrived, learning what they had to do to survive and ignoring the red button that yielded no food. But when the birds that were used to getting a reward every time they hit the green button were put in the cage that fed them only occasionally, they failed to adapt; they hit their heads against the cage and pecked wildly at everything in sight!

 

The pigeons were smart enough to learn quickly how to get the benefits they wanted by hitting the green button and avoid hitting the red button, which did nothing for them. Sadly, for some of the pigeons, which had been spoiled by getting rewarded every time they hit the green button, were unable to adapt to the new situation, which only worked occasionally.


How like so many of our lives today! Some who have been spoiled by their parents by getting everything they want can find it exceptionally difficult to adapt in the real world when they have to start fending for themselves. Furthermore, they can have major conflicts in marriage if and when they expect their spouse to continue giving them everything they want—be it realistic or otherwise—with little or no effort on their part. And then for the rest of us, if we would just learn to stop hitting red buttons, we would find that life would be so much more enjoyable and satisfying.

 

Here’s the practical part of today’s devotional: Part of being responsible is learning from experience to appreciate the benefits of tenacity and the wisdom of avoiding useless, harmful and self-defeating patterns of behavior. Surely that’s what Paul had in mind when he wrote the severe instruction of our reading today.

 

Today is the day before Thanksgiving. For many people it will be a day of preparation. Many will be getting ready for family to arrive by cooking and baking. Extra cleaning will be done to make sure that the house is at its very best. The whole day will be given to prepare for a festive time of gratitude. There certainly is nothing wrong with that! However, spend a little time today measuring how you are doing with your green and red buttons.