Myths of Marriage, at Christmas and New Years.

When you are single, you walk around singing and thinking about the holidays as this wonderfully romantic time. (I do remember before I was married, even though I was only 5 years old back then) Maybe you will meet him or her, this year. Maybe you are with him or her, this year. Some years all you need is mistletoe and some years all the mistletoe in the world is not enough. The same is true at seasons of your marriage, should God trust you with that field to sharecrop. Some seasons are easy to think romantical and some seasons take work to dig up some romance and thoughtfulness. When you mix children and finance problems and work stresses and home struggles and car breakdowns and health issues; what are you doing New Years? is a joke, sometimes. Where is it? Last year, or the year before the romance was on the front burner. This year, I went out into the yard and dug as deep as I could and there was not a drop of water in the romance well. That is where trust comes in. God is the river of romance. God is the filler of the well, not us. If you think that is boring, you don't know what is excitement.
I love the romantical seasons and the dry. I love the reality of waves of joy and tumult. I love the excitement of the marathon of marriage. I go to sleep and know that God is there, even when I am not sure if I am there. Earth to Jayne. God is still there, even when the romance is a fight to the finish. Maybe we need to hire a well digger, but either way, there is water down there somewhere and we'll find it.

Now, At 50, I labor to learn to...

Confess and forsake my sins.

Young people think that their elders have given off learning. I used to wish to be 50 years old and only teach and not learn. I find that I am learning more everyday. I am seeing more of myself and others and God that teach me. Young people are eager to direct the paths of their elders. They say, if you had only known about the green economy and the health initiatives that we have discovered you would not have gotten us in the mess that we are in. Perhaps, we elders say. The lessons of the years past is that covering our sins can only exacerbate the problem. When people were distant from their foibles and the seas could cover a boatload of sunken souls and no one would confess for fear, we were in sin and we didn't even uncover our shame. God knows that confession and forsaking the sin is always in order. We cannot build buildings big enough to house the blankets we try to cover them over with. Psalm 51 is the aid to the public soul and the private.
Lord, when we had covered our sins our bones grew broken and groaned. Take not Thy Holy Spirit from us. You said that if Your people would humble themselves...and pray...and turn from their wicked ways, You would heal our land. We need Your healing in our souls and in our government and certainly in our insurances. We would give You the secrets of our souls and ask for wisdom and righteousness to be learned of our younguns so that they can inherit a blessing out of decay.