My Belt Almost Jumped Off the Bed

by warren and mary beth powell

Mary Beth and I have some family houseguests this morning and I was trying very hard to be quiet as I was getting dressed in the early morning dawn. Jason, Melissa and our new grandson, Aedyn, were in the guest bedroom and most likely they all needed the sleep, so quietness on my part would help.

In an effort to use as little light as possible, and walk with minimum steps, I was getting some clothes out of the closet and throwing them towards our bed. Even if they missed their intended target, the carpet would cushion any noise they made…it was just the thought that I was doing my part to keep things quiet. Everything I tossed to the bed made it [I am such a good shot!]. However, my belt was a little different story….it seemed to have a little mind of its own.

Here is how it happened. The belt itself landed on the bedspread [the bed was already made….. I make it up for Mary Beth every morning….not bragging…just loving]. Anyway, the belt portion landed on top of the bed, however the buckle didn't quite make it, hanging over the side. The belt throw appeared to be successful from where I could see it, however the weight of the buckle started to escape its landing position with the help of the law of gravity.

Slowly at first, then all of a sudden, before I could get across the room, my belt almost jumped off the bed, landing on the floor. Thank goodness it did not make any noise to draw attention to my being up. No one else knew it happened…that is, until now.

To the best of my guess, the buckle is only about 10% of the belt, but whatever the buckle did, the belt followed. It's like the things you and I think about doing, then sometimes we do them, even when it is the wrong thing to do. In fact, God's word says that even those things we think about doing, but we do not act upon….we are accountable for those, too.

You see, it's like a circle. Those things we put into our minds find their way into our hearts. All of them. There is no way to keep them from getting there. Then, the things in our heart move us in our decisions. No just the decisions we act upon, but those we decide not to do. Let's use what Jesus said about adultery. He tells us that when we simply think about committing adultery, we have already done it. This is an entire truth. He is instructing us in the way we are created.

Our heart and mind are interrelated….. connected. Taking that same truth another step forward, the Word tells us that what comes out of our mouth is harbored in our heart. Of course, in many cases, after we have said something that offends someone else, we try to apologize or laugh it off by saying like, "I didn't mean it" or "I was just joking". What a cop-out! The 'joke' came out of our mouth because the criticism was lurking down deep inside of us.

Like the entire belt following the buckle off the bed, the truth about each one of us is based upon what we think about, what we read, what we listen to, what we watch……and our life falls right in line behind it all. We cannot stop the natural progression no more than the belt could stop the law of gravity.

So what moves our own buckle, represented by our heart? In one place, the Bible tells us that where our heart is, there is our treasure, also. In other words, those things we value most, those things we dwell upon, and those are our treasures. Where we spend our time, with whom we spend it, and how we spend it….those are our most valued treasures.

Where our head is…those things that are in our heart…those things we think are not affecting anyone else but ourselves….. they have everything to do with who we are…and our entire life follows right behind where they take us. And we cannot, on our own, simply decide to stop and change directions on our own.

Change must begin in the center of our heart….. where everything permanent has to start. The only One who can alter the laws of nature, the things that currently rule our world, is the One who created you and me….God. He is the One who created each of us….and He is the only One who can create real change in us.

The law of gravity simply sucked the buckle off my bed and whole belt went with it, regardless of what I wanted. Each of us must ask ourselves, "What is pulling me off in all different directions right now?" What are those things that you think about that are in reality counted as treasures in your heart, even though you don't think they are?

Your time is your treasure. Don't let the buckle of your heart and mind draw the belt of your days into the wastelands of your life. There is always hope. And it is not simply some guy throwing you towards some existence. It is the God of the universe who created you with a hope for life and to fill you with His love.