In With the Old, Out With The New
No. That title was not a typo… Men, remember your old basketball shorts that showed off all of your legs so you had nothing to hide? Remember the parachute pants, fanny packs, goatees, shirts with flames, & that phase where you enjoyed hair gel a little too much? Women, remember that poster of Michael Jackson you had on your wall? Remember the shoulder pads, stirrup pants & perms? Wow, that takes you back… Don’t go rush out to find any of it—that is not my point (although goodwill would be a good place to start). My point: All of those items are fads—fads that most of us at one time in our life celebrated and loved.
What makes a fad? A fad is something that gains popularity and marks a culture, society and time, but would not be considered generally desirable later on. Fads do not just refer to clothing. The Atkins diet, traveling door-to-door salesman and car phones are all examples of trends that are no longer successful. In a world that is ever-changing, what then do we put our trust & hope in?
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 NIV
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV
Jesus Christ is the solid rock. He will hold you steady in the 2010’s, 2020’s and 2030’s, no matter what fads and technology will come with them. If your focus is on culture, you will follow Oprah’s advice on relationships and love—or whoever will inevitable come after her; rather than grounding yourself in the truths of God’s Word, which will never fail you. There will always be a writer or radio host having the next “6 ways to transform your marriage,” but if you are not in the Word you won’t know what to take as a grain of salt or worthless garbage. There are helpful resources out there—we even create some ourselves!—but we would never want you to put more hope in the words of humans than the Word of God.
Challenge: Start reading your Bible together weekly. Maybe start with passages that talk about love, getting along or taming the tongue. This will be a great starting point to discuss the Word of God and how it relates to your marriage. I said once a week, because individually you should also have time in the Word daily, and once a week may be a much easier to accomplish goal. Get reading!