February 7, 2007

Do you remember when Ronald Reagan took office in 1980? Gas prices were high and inflation and unemployment were rampant.  He put a plan into motion that was termed “Reaganomics” in order to jump start the economy.  Another term used for this economic theory is “trickle-down” economics , or the thought that prosperity starts at the top and flows down to the employee's which then helps the economy when they spend their prosperity. 

Regardless of your political leanings, the trickle-down theory works in many other areas of our lives, not just in economic ones.

 Life, at it’s core, is about relationships. The Bible says that “none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”  (Romans 14:7) We are born as part of a family and we are at the bottom of the family chain. We slowly move up that chain as we grow older until one day we become parents ourselves (if we’re blessed in that way) and we are then at the top of a new family chain.

Most of us are products of our raising, whether good or bad. We learn how to act and how to react from our parents. We learn prejudices and general likes and dislikes from our parents. We learn honesty or thievery from our parents. We learn hard work or laziness from our parents. So many things, learned at home!

I realize there are exceptions to any rule but so many of us think, speak and act like our parents did before us. That’s why we often say “Well, he’s acting like a Smith!” (insert family name of your choice here!)

The world around us  is filled with people who are angry, resentful, and envious. Those feelings affect relationships in so many areas of their lives – with family, with co-workers, with neighbors, and with people in general. 

It stands to reason, therefore, that if people will find peace with God that the “trickle-down” effect would impact every other relationship in their life!

”Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

 If we are at peace with God, we will be at peace with ourselves. If we are at peace with ourselves, it won’t change the world around us, but our reactions will be different. It will affect our outlook on life and we will see for the first time that many things which used to upset us are only temporary and aren’t really that important in the long run. “The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

 May God give us eternal vision!

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