A week ago Friday, I wrenched my neck rolling over in bed.
I know, its pathetic, but I’m told these things happen as one gets older.
So, Saturday morning I wake up at 4:00 a.m. with the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. My shoulder and neck are going into spasm one after the other, and I’m thinking I’m going to die.
After I sat up for a while and took some medication, I was able to avoid the spasms but only if I sat straight up on the couch with a pillow around my neck. I couldn’t even t lay down to sleep.
As a result, I sat on the couch doing nothing but watching television for two days straight. I couldn’t even look down to read because of the pain.
My channel of choice was HGTV. I watched one design show after another, and as I watched, it struck me how all the modern renovations had granite countertops in the kitchen and how, without fail, those doing the renovations mocked and criticized the design trends of the 70s and 80s.
Now here’s the thing. The style of the 70s and 80s would not have been so prevalent in the 70s and 80s if people didn’t like those styles then. What happened was that over time people got tired of looking at those styles, they became associated with an era and over time began to seem dated and passé.
Today, everyone wants granite countertops, but twenty years from now people will disdain granite. It will be associated with a different era. No one will want them because they will remind people of their grandparents’ house. I’m not criticizing this phenomena. It is what it is. As humans we like variety and new things.
How we choose our morality should not be same way we choose the style of our homes. Morality whose authority is rooted in trends and peer pressure is no morality at all; it is merely fashion. And when people are not grounded in the timeless revelation of God’s Word, they will by default travel with the herd.
So, if with the recent Supreme Court ruling you are despairing, don’t worry too much. The sky is not falling.In fact, like other fashions, we’ve seen this one before. Sodom and Gomorrah and a decaying first century Roman Empire come to mind. This too shall pass, and the kingdom of God shall continue to progress. GS