The Faith of a Child

twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air
they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
they were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"this is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."
when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe
then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Let's Stay Together: 
5 Simple Steps to Healthy Marriage

Inspired by Kevin Odor of CCRC

"Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage..." ah, the hopeful sounds of Frank Sinatra echo the heartbeat of budding lovers everywhere who want to "tie the knot". For some, it's a around the finger and for others it's around the neck. But no matter how you look at it, Old Blue Eyes hit it right on the head! Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongdoing. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Now that we know the true and accurate definition of love and not what modern society and social media tell us, we know that is it is the goal of the heart to leave our homes and cling to another in hopes that we may be one in love and be fruitful. A man must love his wife as he loves himself and a wife must respect her husband as she respects herself. We have heard this over and over again in every culture around the world. Treat them like you want to be treated...what goes around comes around...be good to them and they will be good to you...and so on.

But what makes a marriage last beyond the infatuation stage, the "honeymoon period"? How do we look back years later and look over at that person and say, from the core of our heart, I love this man or I love this woman...how can we say, for example, 30 years later, we are happily married despite an immoral and broken world that no longer believes or markets healthy marriage, but promotes destruction, selfishness, and lust? Well, it's simpler than you may think.

First: Never give up! Commit to your commitment: There will be many obstacles, challenges, ups and downs throughout the journey together, but as long as there is no irreparable damage caused by abuse or indiscretion, and you truly still fully commit to fulfilling the wants and desires you share with your spouse, remember the vow you took before God and man to stand by your word and do everything you can to keep your promises to each other. Love always perseveres.

Second: Avoid the pit-falls from saying, "we are just too different." It was the similarities that attracted you to each other in the first place and the differences that kept it so interesting and challenging along the way. You are not always going to agree on everything. This is good. At times, one will have a perspective the other does not; the outcome will benefit greatly from the meeting of the minds. You are one heart, but you still have a unique quality and contribution to the marriage. It's like sugar and spice, salt and pepper, hand in glove, you get the point. 

Third: Commit to acceptance. Accept one another for who they are, not for who you want them to be. Change in a person comes with time and experience. If it is positive change, embrace it. If it is negative change, work together to overcome it. This brings fulfillment to the marriage. 

Fourth:  Never say, "you don't make me happy." It is NOT the other person's responsibility to make YOU happy. You are responsible for your own happiness. The fruit for a healthy heart is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It is up to you to feed your heart healthy influences just as you feed your body healthy food. Both will reflect a healthy mind and spirit. This is your commitment to growing. Do not accuse in anger, but speak truth in love, this will grow up in the marriage and make you stronger. A 3 strand braid is the strongest there is.

Fifth: Do not see other people. Inviting another person into your marriage bed will destroy it. Your bed can't hold the weight of an extra body. Neither can your heart. Filling your eyes with lust will only lead you to step out on your marriage, which goes against rule #1 above. Causing lust and adultery in your marriage will destroy it to the point of no repair. If you apply love abundantly to a healthy marriage, it will flourish and grow. If you sour and spike your marriage with affairs, promiscuity and adulterous behavior, it will rot the marriage from the core and it will wither and die like rotten fruit fallen from the vine. 

Guard Your Heart

 You have heard this time and time again, we must protect our minds, our bodies and most importantly, our hearts from the things in the world that want to kill it. We must make a commitment to guarding, above all else, our hearts, after all, it is source of life. If we look for good in ourselves and each other, we will find it, But if we seek out to purposely hurt each other, we are capable of executing it.  Be a good heart. A heart of change. Love can turn a heart of stone into a heart of peace. As one in marriage, you are a new heart, undivided with a new spirit of love to bond you.

 

Until next time, I am DeMaster Thomas and this -- is Real Living.