Standard Bearers

Scripture says that when the salt loses its savor, it is trampled underfoot. Salt is the Standard by which a society tells itself . . . this works best. When the Standard Bearers cease to practice the Standard, the society turns on them (the Standard Bearers, hence, the Standard) and tramples it underfoot. Unfortunately, it does so to its own detriment, just like meat rots when it "rejects" the salt that preserves it. At that point, the society is in decline.

Occasionally, when the Standard gets trampled underfoot, a new and purer Standard rises, but not necessarily in time to "bless" the nation that is came from. Nations that have declined have not come back better and purer. The Standard came back better and purer, (example, slavery is no longer an accepted Standard) but not the nation.

A Standard, A Failing, A Mercy

So what our society is trying to figure out, is what is the Standard? Is the Standard a committed, sexual relationship between a male and female (marriage)? a sexual relationship between a male and female (premarital, post marital, or adulterous) ? a sexual, committed relationship between any two human beings (homosexual)?

A Standard is a communication between the generations that says, this works best. It keeps each generation from having to learn the hard way. It keeps each generation from spending 20 years of their lives and then saying, oh, maybe I should have done it differently. So in this case, the Standard should answer the question, which configuration gives the offspring the best chance at mental, physical, emotional, and psychological health?

When the Standard fails, there is a proliferation of premarital, post marital, adulterous and homosexual relationships. Within each of these increases, there is a communication that the Standard has failed. When this happens, the society can do one of two things: it can keep the Standard and give Mercy or it can change the Standard.

A society gets into trouble when it refuses to give Mercy. It also gets into trouble when it confuses a Standard with a Mercy and vice versa. This juncture represent a truth telling -society is now telling itself what is true and what is not true; which is the Standard and which is the Mercy. Hopefully it will know the difference.

Smiled Upon

If Tavish, my granddaughter, is having a hard time falling asleep, I let her sleep with me. And that means, I get to watch her before she wakes up the next morning. Such was the scenario last Sunday. And predictably, before she woke, she was "smiled upon".

Tavish woke up and stretched to find her grandmother smiling at her. What she didn't know is that I'd been smiling at her a long time before she woke up.

God gazes at us lovingly before we wake and after we wake, we are all "smiled upon."