The Danger of Unpredictability!

Have you heard people say this, “he/she is so unpredictable” when they are describing someone? One of the delights, and frustrations, of dealing with people whether in business or in everyday life is that you can never tell what they are going to do next. If you must stop for a moment and make a list of such people, I am sure you would come up with a long list. However, your name would be missing. Whenever we conclude about someone, we usually exclude ourselves from the paradigm. It is always someone else other than us. We all can be unpredictable. 

Warwick business school puts their observation in this manner, “People are unpredictable due to a complex, chaotic interaction of internal and external factors, including ever-shifting emotional states, subconscious cognitive "noise" and reactions to changing environments. Human behavior is rarely consistent because individuals constantly adapt to new information, personal motivations, and environmental stimuli.”

Some argue that human actions are largely predictable due to inherent psychological and social patterns, while others emphasize the chaotic and spontaneous nature of human decisions. In short, human behaviour is noisy, even when it shouldn’t be. Indeed, high levels of noisiness seem to be built into the way our minds work. Let me list out few psychological reasons of why people are so unpredictable:

"Noise" in the Mind: Psychologists found that people often give different answers to the same questions in a short period. This suggests a natural, built-in "noise" or inconsistency in human decision-making.

Unconscious Choices (Autopilot): People are not always aware of their own motivations and may act on autopilot, driven by, for example, fear or desire, rather than logical, consistent, or pre-planned reasoning.

Ego and Self-Interest: Behaviors can change based on a desire for control, personal benefit, or because of ego-driven responses to social interactions.

Besides, the most important reasons are usually ignored. Here are few:

Inherent Brokenness: The Bible (Romans 7:19–20 Bible) highlights the internal conflict where people often do the evil they do not want to do and fail to do the good, they desire. This internal battle makes actions inconsistent and unpredictable.

A "Double-Minded" Nature:  The Bible (James 1:8 Bible) states that a "double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." This refers to someone divided between faith and doubt, or between God's will and worldly desires.

The "Heart" is Deceitful: The Bible states in Jeremiah 17:9 notes that the human heart is deceitful above all things, leading to unpredictable, selfish, or irrational behavior.

Human conditions are infested with sinful nature. Sin distorts the condition of human heart. The moment we take our eyes from Christ; we focus on satisfying our ego. The carnal nature takes different form to gratify the flesh. The person thereafter does everything to ensure that he/she is the center of attraction and is always in control. Mere spiritual habits cannot impact the state of your heart or mind. A conscious effort towards repentance and including Christ in every spectrum in the day-to-day activities of our life can impact stability and transformative behavior. 

Dealing with an unpredictable person from a biblical perspective involves balancing the call to love and extend grace with the wisdom of setting boundaries and guarding one's own heart. The Bible advises maintaining peace while not becoming a "doormat" to destructive behavior. Pray for the people or situation which is unpredictable. Do not forget God listens to prayers and provide you with all help. Some approaches can help; here are few: 

"Soft Answer" approach: The book of Proverbs in the Bible says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Avoid fighting fire with fire; instead, respond with calm.

Control your reactions: You cannot control their actions, but you can control your response. “Rule your spirit, which is more important than taking a city”. (Proverbs 16:32 Bible).

Don't try to win: With unpredictable or irrational people, trying to win the argument usually backfires. Sometimes, the wisest move is to disengage and walk away (Proverbs 14:7 Bible).

Ask Jesus, the resurrected Savior for wisdom to handle relationships and invite Him into your heart if you are struggling with unpredictability.  

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Beware-History is likely to repeat!

Problems occur and recur due to unaddressed issue of the past. Unresolved issues act as hidden, structural flaws that inevitably produce recurring failures. When problems are treated as isolated events rather than symptoms of a deeper, unaddressed past, they continue to resurface. When the situation or a crisis is completely avoided or dealt improperly or dealt hurriedly without addressing the root issue, then most likely the same crisis could recur with high intensity. In most cases the solutions are not complemented with change in our approaches, new behavior and style. We follow what we were doing in the past that brought a situation and expect time to change situations. It doesn’t work that way. The bottom line is we don’t seem to learn our lessons well.

Talking about the reasons why past problems recur in the corporate and personal level:

The "Band-Aid" Fix (Operational/Professional): Treating symptoms—such as patching a broken system or ignoring interpersonal conflict—rather than addressing the underlying root cause means the core issue remains, leading to predictable recurrences.

Suppression and Avoidance: Trying to forget or ignore a difficult past event often causes it to build. Buried trauma or problems tend to surface later in unexpected and disproportionate ways.

"Invisible" Accumulation: In business, "minor" defects that are overlooked during one phase often accumulate interest, growing into major, recurring, or catastrophic failures later.

Talking about the organization or business entity people of the lower cadre usually must face all the brunt under a brutal manipulative leader. The people with higher cadre can ignore or overlook because probably it is not affecting them at all. People within a system can be unaware of selfishness. Little do the leaders realise it can package itself and can come in new form that can overthrow the executive leadership itself. In all levels people are concerned what affects them and what favors them. 

Sin problem is no different. You need to address it with all seriousness and commitment failing which it would come back and allure you in a more brutal manner. Remember what Jesus said, “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members that that your whole body go into hell.” Not in a literal manner though, but the seriousness of dealing with the sin Christ highlighted here. Often, we try to avoid the unpleasant situations and escape consequences but never feel remorse for the mistakes we commit. Some solution to personal sin needs aggressive action. Feeling sorry for the sin and asking forgiveness from Christ Jesus who is willing to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, turning away from sin and returning to Him with clean heart. 

When King Solomon in his book of Proverbs in the Bible advises young people on sexual immorality gives a serious advice which states, “keep your way from her, and do not go near the house.”. Some situation and sin need drastic measures. Right approach is dependent on remorse and willingness to turn away from sin to God and then moving away from the situation that can drag you back to the sinful behavior. Don’t allow the same old problem and situation repeat and drag you deeper into a mess. Seek God for help. He is there to help you. 

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Cling to me!

 

Hello, my fellow ladies out there, I wish you a very happy Women’s Day! May this day be a kind reminder to you that you are worth it. You a hero even if you are patiently parenting a difficult child, you are a hero if you still love and believe in a husband who has given up on you, you are a hero if you are loyally working for an ungrateful boss, you are still a hero if the whole family or community has ostracized you. We all find ourselves in one of these situations or the other. But remember God loves you. Though these are just mere three words, repeated casually, they carry profound meaning as it says in the Bible: "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Worth and equality in God's eyes). You need to understand that He loved us woman that we were created in His own image. Every day you look in the mirror, you will see God’s reflection in your own looks. Somehow the society has groomed us to think that our identity is connected to the spouse we marry, having children or the job position we hold. It has overridden the fact that our identity is in God. There are many of us who cling on to our spouse or children or job or possessions without realizing we have made idols of them overtime. We rarely realize that these are shifting sand. They can give away any point of time in our life. 

The Bible says in (Proverbs 19:21), "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails".  . We somehow conclude just merely being a daughter or mother or an employee fulfills my purpose for God. No doubt they do. But is God the center of your worship and adoration? Do you keep worshipping Him in being a mother or daughter or an employee? Do you seek to be the person whose desire is only to please Him? Do we even ask God what pleases Him? Most of what we do is what pleases us and we conclude that’s what God is also pleased with. 

There is a story of Queen Esther in the Bible. She was the wife of Ahasuerus, widely identified as the Persian Emperor Xerxes I, who reigned from 486 to 465 BC, from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, there is a time she pleads with the king regarding someone who was plotting evil against the Jews. “Then she said, If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him, and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to eliminate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.” (Esther 8:5 Bible). I want you to pay attention to the way she addresses a human king. If it is for a human king how much more when we speak to our Heavenly King. If you notice closely Esther never lost her queen status by speaking that way to the king. She did that out of awe and respect to the authority of the king. She was totally clinging to the favor of the king and what is pleasing to Him. Now this is the kind of clinging, God is looking for in us my dear sisters. 

Not what we feel is what God’s purpose for us but to seek God to reveal His purpose for us. The Bible in Psalm 138:8 says, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me. LORD, your faithful love endures forever; do not abandon the work of your hands.” Be bold, be strong for this God, Jesus Christ who died for you and me on the cross to forgive our sins, who has got our back. However, bleak your life situation may look like, seek to fulfill His purpose and He will “make all things beautiful in His time”. 

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When intentions don’t match your action!

Have you encountered people who are polite and cordial on the outside but are quiet the opposite of who they are within? Welcome to the world of deception and dichotomy! Pretending to be good has become a common trait, especially among people who are associated daily. People’s intentions and actions don’t match. We are more concerned about people having a good impression about us rather than being authentically good.

Words can be far disconnected from what is really in one’s heart. Sweet words become deceptive when they are used to mask hidden, negative, or selfish intentions, functioning as a form of manipulation ("sugar on their lips and poison in their heart"). This often occurs when individuals use flattery to gain trust, hide jealousy, or disguise harmful actions. It is a sign of deceit when actions do not match the spoken words, often leaving behind a trail of disappointment and ruin.

In the Bible, the wisest king Solomon warns people who encounter such people or situations by saying, “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; And put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; for it’s like someone calculating inwardly. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit the little you’ve eaten and waste our pleasant words.” (Proverbs 23:1-7 Bible).

The above could be one category of people but we have encountered same or similar people in life. When bitterness is developed people act obnoxiously.  Bible warns us and states, “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” The bitterness harms the one who has it than to whom the person is showing to. The root cause I feel is because of the lack of honesty or the genuine motive to reconcile and set things right. People would rather pretend and betray people into believing they are good than intentionally taking the effort to be good.

Fyoder Dostoevsky cites this beautifully, “People really do like seeing their best friends humiliated; a large part of the friendship is based on humiliation; and that is an old truth, well known to all intelligent people.”

I am sure this quote is relatable. When our hearts are not filled by Christ’s love it learns to live with constant contradiction. In book of John in the Bible we find strong words against hatred. It says, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him”. Hating your brother equals to murdering, isn’t that serious? The problem of the heart is so complex that we all usually let evil slide. When we operate based on power, self-righteousness, racism, egoism we do no longer have Christ’s love in us. When Christ transforms us, we become transformed and transparent. We can be transformed provided we are willing to ask forgiveness from the muck of self-righteousness and accept Christ transforming love by faith. Repentance from sins and accepting Christ in your heart as your Savior is the only way that assures us forgiveness and eternity. Would you like to know Christ more? 

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Age of loudcasting!

  

We are in the age where everything is too loud! People tend to forget there are people around them especially when it comes to the public places, sadly that includes the sacred zones too. In some countries and cultures, it is worse, no one really cares for the other people. "Age of Loudcasting" describes a modern trend where individuals publicly consume media—videos, music, or calls—on their devices without headphones at high volumes, subjecting bystanders to unavoidable, often unwanted audio. Common in commuting, cafes, and public spaces, this behavior is driven by increased, unrestrained personal device usage.

Nearly 46% of people admit to watching videos without headphones in public, according to the different survey. The Week  While common across ages, teenagers are roughly four times more likely (83%) to loudcast than people over 55 (21%). Data suggests it is more common among men (52%) than women (40%). This phenomenon, sometimes called "digital litter," forces personal, often loud, entertainment into shared environments, leading to decreased public etiquette. 

With too many digital entertainments one can reach quickly through their smart digital device people are therefore continuously looking for the external sound to fill their space. People can no longer be quiet doing nothing yet in peace. Richie Corrao states, ‘Life can be so full of madness with polarizing opinions, division, deceptions, and brutality pulling at your peace from every direction. But if you belong to God, you’ll recognize His voice in the middle of it all, and all that other “stuff” that consumes so many loses its grip on you. The challenge for us is learning to block out the noise so we can focus on Him and follow his word. God’s voice isn’t the loudest…but it’s the only one that will lead you home.’

In the age of inflamed rage fueled by exaggeration, self-justification and a hostile spirit, have we forgotten that behind the chaos is the manifestation of spiritual warfare in the heavenlies? There are desperate times, with political unrest, racial polarization, economic uncertainty and loud accusations and counterattacks. Bible talks about it already predicting the age now we are living. It says in the Bible 2Timothy 3:1-2, “But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…” If you notice carefully all these traits lead someone to express themselves loud. 

The peace of God if rules your heart you would find serenity and tranquility in your mind. What people are struggling today is finding the divine peace that has the ability to calm the heart and soothe the mind. Only Jesus in the entire human history claimed and assured the divine peace to all who reach out to Him. He said,  "peace I leave with you, my peace I give you." Knowing Jesus the God of Peace and making a decision to have this God of Peace and truth will transform you and your situation forever. He is the risen savior and promises to live in your heart. Do you want to know Him more? Grab the Bible (Physical or Digital) and read the book of John. No pressure no persuasion. I am sure you find the true peace overshadowing your life when you confess your dependence to follow Him. 

 

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I am right!

 

The act of assuming "I am right," particularly in a rigid and prideful way, is often characterized in a spiritual and ethical context as a manifestation of arrogance, which is widely considered a sin in Christian theology and many other moral frameworks. This mindset is seen as damaging to oneself, relationships, and spiritual connection. 

We all believe in our decisions and hold on to it especially when we plan in a particular manner and want to appear that way. But there is another reason too. When one holds good amount of power and status, then people’s choices and decisions look even more convincing to assume they are right. 

Self-righteousness is dangerous and pervasive, extending its tentacles, trapping and blinding us. Often, our motivations remain hidden even from ourselves. In confession Augustine observes how God upends human assessments of behavior: “Your witness condemns many deeds that receive human praise,” he writes. “For it often happens that the appearance of an act denies what the agent has in mind.”

Trevin Wax in one of his writings states this about self-righteous people, ‘Self-righteousness poisons relationships. So does defensiveness and the instinct to excuse ourselves. What keeps relationships alive is the opposite: humility, confession, repentance. When you fail (and you will), you don’t spin or deflect. You tell the truth. You allow the carefully curated image of your “best self” to collapse in front of another person.’

Some of the reasons that convince people they are right are as follows:

Pride and Ego: The persistent need to be right often stems from an inflated ego or a "superiority complex". This pride is viewed as a primary spiritual failing because it places one's own limited perspective above the possibility of being wrong or needing guidance.

Strained Relationships: Assuming one is always right in disagreements leads to arguments, frustration, and damaged connections with others, as it involves putting down others' opinions and a lack of willingness to understand their perspectives.

Lack of Humility: A humble attitude, conversely, involves being open-minded, seeking to understand others' viewpoints, and acknowledging one's own potential for error. The Bible explicitly warns against this kind of self-assuredness, stating, "Never be wise in your own sight" (Romans 12:16).

Closed-Mindedness: A trait characterized by an unwillingness to consider new ideas or opinions. Certainty in one's own rightness is a hallmark of a closed mind.

Ego Involvement: For some, being "right" is tied to their self-esteem or identity. Shifting their view would mean admitting they were wrong, which can be emotionally difficult and lead them to stop listening as a defense mechanism.

Self-righteous people may appear “holier than thou,” but that illusion only works when we compare ourselves to other sinners. Held up to the light of God’s holiness, every rag of righteousness is stripped away. The only way out of the trap of self-righteousness, constantly declaring “I am right”, is a renewed encounter with both God’s holiness and God’s grace. 

Knowing who you are and willing to change takes lots of humility. You can encounter a God who exemplified it in abundance. The life of Jesus, not just His teaching, His life in its entirety influenced and transformed millions of lives and gives hope to people who are struggling to change. It is simple to say, ‘let go off your ego’, but it is not possible by one’s own effort. When one confesses his sinful nature to this holy God, Christ Jesus, not only the wrongdoings are forgiven but He helps the person to stay away from sin. The Bible states, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”.  Mark those lines which says, ‘and he cannot keep on sinning’. That’s the  power of transformation. Transformation stories can be argued and challenged unless one  undergoes that experience. And anyone who is honest to know Christ and willing to invite Him into his/her life finds the power of God supernaturally restoring a person to His own image.

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Be patient with God!

We all wish we can skip processes that delays things and get what we want just instantaneously. That desire for instant gratification is a fundamental human urge, deeply rooted in our psychology and reinforced by modern technology. It is a natural inclination to prefer immediate pleasure or results over delayed, more significant rewards. The human brain is wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. In our evolutionary history, this meant seizing immediate, limited resources (like food) to survive. Today, this translates to wanting everything "now."

The "process" is where skill, resilience, and true understanding are developed. Skipping it often leads to shallow, temporary satisfaction. God follows a process in everything he does. The story of Jesus the God of the universe adhered to the process too. He came to the world as a human, stayed in the womb, and was birthed like everyone else. Even though he has the power to do things differently, he chose to go through these processes. Right from the prophecy recorded about him. It says, “see the virgin will become pregnant  and give birth toa son, and they will name him Immanuel…” (Matt 1:23 Bible). When Herod wanted to kill Jesus, an angel appeared to Joseph and told him to go to Egypt. Instead of using his power to deal with Herod, God chose to follow the process. (Matt 2:3 Bible)

The lesson here is that even though God could have done things differently, He chose to go through a process because He is a principled God. We should learn from His example in how we live and in what we expect from Him when we make requests, God follows steps when dealing with us. He doesn't take shortcuts. That's why we should be patient and trust in God; he will help us when the time is right.

You cannot bypass endurance and enter into the promises of God.

You run into different problems if you try to take the short-cuts. Be patient with God. Here are some of the consequences if you skip the process.

Long-Term Consequences: A constant chase for immediate, easy pleasure can lead to poor decision-making, debt traps from impulsive spending, and health issues from neglecting long-term wellness.

Decreased Patience & Tolerance: When we are accustomed to speed, our ability to handle delays, boredom, or, long-term, complex, or challenging tasks vanishes.

Procrastination: We tend to delay tasks that require effort and, consequently, do not bring immediate, pleasurable results.

While we want to skip the wait, research suggests that delayed gratification—the ability to wait for a better, future reward—is a stronger predictor of long-term success, higher income, better health, and emotional stability. But more importantly when you are patient with God and yourself you see the hand of the Lord in your life. The Bible promises to lead who are His children. "Whoever is led by the Spirit of God are the sons [children] of God," (Bible). Things can look frustrating to wait but be Patient with God because he is always in control. 

 

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