First Comes Love, then comes...........

You know the old song: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes mom with a baby carriage.... As some in southwestern PA say, back in the day that was the pattern and nobody wondered what the definition of any of the words in the song meant. Everyone knew what a baby carriage was. Everyone knew what marriage was and it was pretty much the same definition anytime anywhere!
Well, this has certainly been the week for change - tho' not necessarily all that hopeful change! Between our president deciding that for him the definition of the word marriage suddenly has a new meaning and Time Magazine deciding to put a symbol of motherhood on their cover that makes a total mockery of all things mother - THIS has certainly been the week that was! It would be awesome for this to be the week that WAS never to return. Since I have enough life experience to hazzard a guess, I believe the assault on the family and truth has only begun (or continued)! These events of this week were warning shots over the bow of the boat of life as we know it with the coming battles of this war yet to be fought.
We learned under another president that words have nebulous meanings like is so I wouldn't want to assume that the meaning of was or any other word might not be subject to change, adjustment or even radical transformation!
For Time to choose THIS week for their cover and for them to pick the particular models and subject to showcase motherhood inquiring minds may well ponder if the very foundations of all things family might be shaking and near toppling over into the dust!
Families deal with incredible stress due to all kinds of factors from the economy, faith, relationships, values and much more. What kind of a plot from the pit of hell is this attempt to further undermine the structure of society's most essential unit - the family?! If the meaning of is or marriage or mother can suddenly and capriciously morph into something radically opposite then we all have to contemplate the nature of truth. If TRUTH is absolute and certain, then all of this is silliness at best and diabolical at worst! If truth is relative, shifting and expedient then we are all in a whole lot worse trouble than we imagined!
The ONLY glimmer of hope in the tunnel of this darkness is that God's truth IS absolute and God IS still on His throne. God has a solution for all this upheaval in the very foundations of society. God's solution is a heart make-over. Words matter! Truth matters! God matters! AND He stands ready, willing and able to change hearts and to turn the hearts of kings and to weave His will into the affairs of men. It all begins in the heart and in a relationship with the King!

The Gospel for My Heart Today

Does discouragement preach to you a false gospel that forgets that your future has already been written into the pages of God's book?
Does vengeance preach to you a false gospel that focuses more on what someone did to you than on what God did for you? --Paul Tripp

Someone did me - and a whole group of people - wrong, wrong to the max over a period of time! It makes me mad and sad and a whole bunch of other emotions! The MOST frustrating part of the whole story besides the collateral damage is that there is absolutely nothing to do about it and the damage is huge!

These two questions really speak to my heart today! Is this situation discouraging? You betcha!!! Do I want to fix it? You betcha! Do I want the person who did the damage to get his/hers? In spades! So now we're about done taking about my heart, is there a remedy? It's not a pretty picture! BUT the reality of the Gospel is pretty wonderful! I'm going to choose to camp out in the Gospel today with the help of Jesus Who overcame sin and death forever!

Lord Jesus, help me to live today in the truth of the Gospel today and in all my tomorrows! Help me to lay THIS circumstance at Your feet. Help me to trust You to love me (and the others hurt by this betrayal) no matter what the circumstances look like! Help me to believe and practice that Your Gospel is way big enough to take care of all this - my heart, this other person, the circumstances and the damage!

Heart Trumps Head!

"I believe wisdom is when our hearts tell us the truth before our minds have time to argue with it." David Hampton