The ABC's of Cats and Dogs by Bill Crofton

If you Google the name Albert Ellis, you will see that he was a very popular and enlightened psychologist.  He is credited with developing the ABC’s of Emotional Life.  It’s kind of a model for understanding how people respond to circumstances in the way that they do. 

This is what Ellis said:

“A” stands for the word “Antecedent.”  These are things that happen to us - our circumstances or situation.  “C” stands for the word “Consequences.”  This is the outcome or the way I respond.

Ellis says that the great illusion in life is that the things that happen to me—my circumstances—control my outcome.  They dictate what it is that I feel.  So, if good things happen to me (I get a promotion, a raise, or it’s a nice day), then I feel good.  If something bad happens, then I go down.  I’m at the mercy of my circumstances. 

Ellis goes on to say: 

In between the “Antecedents” and the “Consequences,” is the letter “B,” which stands for my “Beliefs” about what happened to me.  It is my Beliefs about what happened to me that ultimately determine the outcome.  It is my “Beliefs” that determine the way I feel.

This is why two different people can be in precisely the same situation, can experience identical circumstances, and have polar opposite responses to it—because where they differ is in their “Beliefs.”

This, for example, is the difference between cats and dogs.  A dog looks at his circumstances and says, “You feed me.  You pet me.  You shelter me.  You care for me.  You must be God.”  And a cat says, “You feed me.  You pet me.  You shelter me.  You care for me.  I must be God.”  Same “Circumstances,” different “Beliefs.”  Completely different set of “Consequences.”

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church of Philippi while in prison.  He had been arrested, beaten, and placed in chains.  Even in these desperate conditions, he admonishes the church to, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

Paul’s response to his circumstances was a direct result of the belief he had in Jesus.  Regardless of the Antecedent, Paul’s Belief in Jesus resulted in the Consequence of unshakeable faith. 

Bill Crofton