C.R. SESSION 2

Session 2 of the Couples Retreat Joelene and I had the privilege of doing this past weekend (see yesterday's blog as well):

Most people don’t fully know what’s going on inside them until they get into a relationship where they start getting bumped by the one they’re committed to – and then it happens and they say, ‘Oh, my goodness – what in the world was THAT? What did you just DO to me?'

And this is why people who make the ultimate commitment to each other end up madder at one another than anyone else on the planet – and HE is absolutely sure the reason that response came out of him is because SHE gets on his nerves and she keeps saying that thing and doing that thing and she knows full well how blasted mad that makes him … but the TRUTH is, that response came out of him because it was already in there.

And SHE is pretty sure if he would just stop and if he would just start and if he would just do more of and if he would just continue and if he would just do less of, then those bad responses of hers would quit coming out ... but the TRUTH is, that bad response was already in there.

We all have stuff in there -- and most of us blame the person we’re most in love with for what comes out of us.

So – what do we DO?

Here’s how the writer of Proverbs says it. He's the smartest guy on the planet, remember? He not only wrote Proverbs, he wrote Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon, too --- and he writes in Proverbs 4:23 … ‘Above all else…‘ which means what I’m about to tell you is as important or maybe more important than everything else I’ve said so far, and that’s quite a mouthful coming from Solomon, the wisest guy on earth – more than anything else, this is IT … and if you’ve read much of his readings, you know the guy talks about everything: MONEY – WORK ETHIC – FAMILY - RELATIONSHIPS - SEX - FUTILITY OF LIFE ----- the writer has covered the gamut – and yet, here he says …

“Above all else … guard your heart.” Which means, give great attention to what is going on with the INSIDE of you. The heart in Bible times represented the seat of emotions – and Solomon says, 'I want you to guard that part of you --- I want you to pay attention to it – keep the bad guys out.’ In other words, GUARD IT … cover what is valuable. I want you to PROTECT and DEFEND your heart, is what he’s saying.

Because what is already in you will eventually make it's way out.

And be blessed.