Gold vs Fools Gold

I love Pintrest...truly! I find it to be a GREAT escape from the drama infested Facebook, Twitter, etc. There are no conversations, no accusations and I haven't seen ANY hint of Sub-Pintresting to this point! With that said, of all the boards I've created to my Pintrest  account (I think I'm up to 70 something...don't judge), the one I've dedicated to inspiring quotes is my favorite. I have found some AMAZING quotes that I, either find apply to my life or they SHOULD apply to my life. There are a lot of golden nuggets of wisdom in the world of Pintrest! However, there are a TON that I've found disturbing...fools gold, if you will!

The ones that bother me most are the ones that speak of "following ones heart"in relationships. Follow my heart?! I don't want to devalue the heart...after all, it IS the pump that keeps everything functioning. Without it...we'd die! I can, ALSO appreciate the way it acts as a barometer for our emotions. When I hold a woman's hand for the first time, it races. When I'm cuddling, it slows to a calming rhythm. But, how long do these emotions last? They're ALL temporary...some longer than others, but no emotion last forever so WHY would I "follow my heart"?!

When we were created, we were equipped with a brain AND a heart! The two communicate constantly and I don't believe that this is by chance! Our hearts serve a noble purpose...the two that I mentioned above seem to be the greatest. Our brain has it's own purpose...it is the 'communicator' of our bodies! It is CONSTANTLY at work giving our bodies information....if NOT for the brain, our heart rate would ONLY mean that our beats per second are high or low. It's our brain that discerns our heart beats from those of a hurried pace and those of moments of passion...aka "Love".

My problem with leading with one's heart is that it lacks reasoning. It puts us in a "If it feels good do it" mentality. Again, without reasoning, there is nothing cautioning us against consequences. Who doesn't enjoy falling in love?! It changes every thing when this magic occurs! But, when the emotion dies....what then? We find ourselves in a revolving door of false hope...looking for the next 'magic'. Love isn't as easy as emotion...it demands reason! Does this person make me a better person? Am I happiest with this person? Reason will permit us to see our partner's imperfection, but inspire us to endure the down times for the heights of the good times. Reason allows for hope! Heart AND reason MUST come together for us to realize our greatest hope!

In summary, I believe that there MUST be a balance! Where our hearts and minds intersect, I find that the best answers to relationships reside! Too much reasoning and man and woman would NEVER unite! Truly, one is from Mars and the other is from Jupiter! Understanding each other can be as futile an effort as any might ever know! Too much heart responds only to a present emotion that will change as quickly as the wind. True gold sits at the crossroad of the heart and mind. The is wealth awaiting us all! Don't settle for fools gold...we weren't created to be fools!

Express Yourself

There are MANY things that touch the depths of my spirit! Pure worship of an amazing God, reading a verse of scripture that jumps out at me from the Word, seeing an underdog win, people reaching out to the less fortunate, lost people finding their way, etc! Without a doubt, Jesus is my Lord and Savior and I try to celebrate that in my daily walk. That said, in the past few years, I've found that writing songs has become a therapeutic response to the things that have effected me most throughout my life! I've ALWAYS been moved by music in a special way. I lost my father to suicide when I was 18, buried a girlfriend that same year, seen friends come and go, I've known failure in ministry, as well as victory in ministry along with the typical ups and downs of life! As I write lyrics and compose the music, I've discovered that, by doing so I take ownership of these areas as opposed to them having ownership over me! It has freed me from the persistent tugging on my spirit! I share this, because I've known TOO many people that keep stuff buried within themselves. Sadly, this leads to a numbness that robs them of TRUE existence. Numbness is Satan's cheap substitute for the peace that surpasses understanding God offers! When Satan is victorious in this, he blurs our vision of God's grace and mercy! The more we give into this, the harder it is to embrace God's best hope for our lives! If we're not careful, ANYTHING to do with the LIGHT offends our embrace of darkness! You might not be able to write songs, but the Lord has provided each of us with the ability to express ourselves....DO IT! You HAVE to have TRUE friends that you can confide in...the kind that will KNOW you and STILL love you! You can't do it alone...my songs are the results of many conversations I've had with friends like this! I'm thankful for each and everyone of them....shoot....they EVEN endure my songs!

I'm a simple soul surrounded by complexities that, regardless of all my efforts, consume me. I'll always be clear in my love for Jesus, yet find myself in a tug-of-war with Him daily. I have NO doubt that His hopes for me are MUCH greater than my own, yet the struggle remains. Pride is my greatest weakness. It affords Satan MANY opportunities to distract me from God's grace. I seek to be transparent in all that I do, but find too many people salivate at the chance to see one of God's children fall. Sadly, I can ONLY be transparent to a small number of people...this can happen quickly, however, as I feel inspired by their own willingness to celebrate transparency! My hope is to be 'real' in all I am and do. Even at the expense of 'relationships'. I confess, that I have little faith in humanity...especially, in these days. Selfishness reigns supreme in a time where selflessness is so desperately needed. "What's in it for me?" has become the sad mantra of our society and it drains the few "givers" left in this world of any sunshine they may cling to. We project all our shortcomings on our childhood or surroundings using them as a crutch supporting our sense of entitlement. I DO trust God in this area, but grow weary of the overwhelming sense that things are only getting worse. I'm committed to the mission. My calling is clear and I shall remain faithful in the pursuit to see things amended. God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!