As I scroll social media….as I listen to the daily news…I’ve arrived at this conclusion: We all need some “heart & brain medication. What do I mean by that?

I love how the Aramaic Bible in Plain English states this command from Jesus:

“’And you shall love THE LORD JEHOVAH your God with your whole heart and with your entire soul and with your entire mind and with all your power.’ This is the first commandment”

So, how does “heart and brain medication” factor into today’s thoughts? Recently, our 3 ½ year old grandson was shopping with his dad and walked by a display of medications. He told his dad “We need heart brain medication daddy”. Our son looked at the packages and made an immediate correction. “Bubba”, he responded. “That’s heartburn medicine; I’m pretty sure we don’t need that”. Later in the week our son sent me a text message describing the situation that made me laugh and make note of at the same time, in a contemplative kind of manner…noting to myself our grandson’s observation is a great lesson for me and maybe you. 

My current Bible app devotion is taking me through a daily question: Choosing Each Day, God or Self? Seems pretty accurate that our culture is living in a state of “it’s all about me”, wrapping ourselves in selfies to post on social media…making arguments in print for what WE deem is good and right….some folks attending protests waving banners and homemade signs to proclaim our stance on social justice topics…taking up arguments and debates–that from where I’m sitting–only exhaust inner strength and peace. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place to defend what is good and right. But here’s the rub. Consider Isaiah 5:20.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, and put light for darkness and darkness for light, and put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Here’s a second rub. WHO gets to define what is evil?  And defining what is good? I know how I would do so, but I’m fully aware when I do so I’m not in absolute agreement from everyone who would read my definitions. Because a variety of opinions and mindsets exist in our culture, I truly believe we are living in days where we all need a good dose of “Heart and Brain Medicine”…one produced by a willingness to read scripture and have God teach and speak His truth to us, rather than relying on our own thoughts and desires or what is popular in our current culture. 

In Celebrate Recovery–a program I have participated in for six years now, our first principle says “Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.” (drawn from Matthew 5:3a)

And our last principle states “Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words”. (source Matthew 5:10)

Realize. Yield. Two pretty good words for action and self evaluation. Plus, basically, I think our grandson was on to something when he said “we need heart brain medication daddy”….”Father, God, I….my friends and family….my community and the world all need a good dose of Heart and Brain medicine….Amen.”