Debt Ceiling

By Gobel Brockman


Unless you live under a rock - or your cable has gone out - you've heard the phrase 'debt ceiling' constantly the last few days. I don't want to go into the financial or political aspects of this (well, I do, but now's not the time). I only mention it because one of the questions that journalists love to ask in times like these is "Who do you blame more, Republicans or Democrats?" If one of them ever asks me, my answer may surprise them. I would say, "Neither - I blame the Amercian voter. They're the ones who keep sending the same people back to Washington, then expect different results." I've heard that's the definition of insanity. I won't argue.

But that got me to thinking about how often we do that in our own lives. A man gets drunk to the point of passing out, throwing up, or both. The next morning brings a hangover that would kill a horse. So what does he do the next weekend? Head for the bottle again. A girl ends a relationship with a guy because he only wanted 'one thing'. What does she do then? Hooks up with another guy that only wants 'one thing'.

How many times have I told God - sometimes through tears - "I'll never do that again!" only to come back and say "God, I did it again!" This all leads me to my point - for things to change, things have to CHANGE. The guy who gets drunk has to stay away from the bottle. The girl that keeps getting used has to stop 'settling' and wait for a man with integrity who will actually respect her. Name your problem - if you want it to change, that means something's going to be different. I mentioned a few weeks ago that God is interested in changing more in your life than just how you spend your Sunday mornings. He's interested in changing YOU. I love this quote from Max Lucado: "God loves you just the way you are. But He refuses to leave you that way..."

I don't know about you, but I'm not where I need to be in my relationship with God. There's still too much ME that keeps poking its head up and causing problems. Thankfully though, God's not done with me yet. He sees the changes that are needed, He has the power to do it, and He's helping me. Good thing He's not an American voter....