Words of Truth

I drink water.  I drink crystal light (and the generic equivalents). I drink whole milk.  And I drink Diet Mountain Dew.  That’s about all I drink on a regular basis.  I also have egg nog once or twice a year, milkshakes and root beer less than once a month.  No alcohol. No regular sugary drinks.

When I drink Dew, it’s usually at work, and it’s usually in the form of a two liter bottle.  Why do I do this?  Because you can buy a two liter bottle at the grocery store for approximately the same price as a 20 ounce bottle anywhere else. That means I get three times as much for the same price.  My coworkers (both past and present) can attest to the fact that sometimes I walk into work carrying this bottle.  I have gotten to where I usually drink it at room temperature, straight from the bottle. It usually takes me two shifts to get through an entire bottle.

Some people have criticized me for drinking Dew in such quantities.  The warning I hear more than any other is this, “You are drinking too much caffeine!”   I have told them that this isn’t the case.  I have now looked up the numbers.  So to all of you who think I drink too much Dew, here’s the facts.

According to the Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/AN01211)  Mountain Dew has between 46-55mg of caffeine in a 12 oz can.  That’s 4-4.6mg of caffeine per ounce. This means that a two liter bottle has between 260mg and 310mg of caffeine.  Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?

Regular, brewed coffee has between 95-200mg of caffeine in an 8 ounce cup.  That’s between 12-25mg of caffeine per ounce.  This means that a 2liter bottle of Dew has the equivalent amount of caffeine as a 15 ounce cup of coffee.   My entire bottle of Dew has less caffeine than two cups of regular coffee, or one “Grande” from Starbucks. So the next time you are tempted to hold an intervention for someone because they tossed back a few Dews, check to see how much caffeine you are consuming via Juan Valdez.

These two have the same amount of caffeine.

Oh, and just for reference, the average adult needs to consume more than 500mg of caffeine in a day in order to cause negative health effects. So I’m good with my Dew unless I drink two 2Liter bottles in one day. And even I would agree that would be excessive.

I had a short Facebook conversation recently with a male relative about following your heart (names have been omitted to protect the innocent).  He posted a picture stating that we should follow our hearts (meaning we all have to live with our own choices). I maintained that the Bible says that if you follow your heart, you are a fool because your heart is deceitful. I said that people who “follow their heart” tend to make bad choices, ungodly choices.

While I believe that what I said was biblically correct, evidently there was some miscommunication.  I mentioned this to a friend at work, and she gave me the following illustration that she found on http://gracefullmama.com/choosing-the-engine-guest-post. I’m not familiar with the website, so I’m not outright recommending it. I’m just letting you know the source for this illustration is a guest blogger for that website named Carrie.  I’ve edited her version a little, but it’s basically the same.

She says your life is like a train. The engine of that train represents FACT (God’s Word), which is what drives the train.  You could also call the engine TRUTH.  The coal car of that train is represented by FAITH, which supplies fuel for the engine. She says, “Faith in God’s Word (the Truth) keeps you on track.”

The caboose of the train represents FEELINGS (or we’ll say “YOUR HEART”). While feelings are natural, and everybody has them, they are only trustworthy insofar as they follow God’s Word and your faith in His Word.

If you put the caboose in front of the engine, you have problems.  The train derails or doesn’t run right.  The idea is that if you allow your feelings to dictate your choices in life, your life won’t run the way God wants it to, and it will be messed up.  Feelings are great things, and you CAN “follow your heart” just as long as your heart (i.e. your feelings) is in line with your faith and God’s Word.

She ended her illustration by referencing Ravi Zacharias, a Christian apologist I hold in high esteem. He is an amazing thinker, writer, and preacher.  If you have time, listen to some of his messages over at www.rzim.org. I have three or four of his books, but the one I like the most is “Jesus Among Other Gods.”

Anyway, Ravi was talking about his brother, who had an arranged marriage.  He told his brother he didn’t believe he could marry someone he didn’t love.  His brother said, ““Love is as much a question of the will as it is of the emotion. And if you WILL to love somebody, you can.”

Carrie then ended her post by saying, “I can choose to trust (and obey) God’s Word, or I can let the caboose carry me away. When I choose to love my husband when he is being unlovable (which doesn’t happen often, but he is still human!), the feelings always follow, just as the caboose will always follow the engine, as long as they are kept in the correct order.”

Here’s an example. Let’s say you “fall in love” with someone. That’s great, but you need to make sure that your love is in line with your faith in God and with His Word. For instance, is your prospective spouse already married to someone else? Then according to God’s Word, that person is not for you, and untold damage will be done if you put your feelings before the Truth. Is this person a believer? God’s Word says that believers should not marry unbelievers. Amos 3:3 and II Corinthians 6:14 are clear about this truth.

If you read God’s Word to see what it says about relationships, and your prospective spouse matches up, then you can “follow your heart!” But if your heart is telling you to do something that is against the Word of God or your faith in it, you shouldn’t do it, no matter how strong your feelings are.

At the end of this post, so there is no confusion, let me categorically state that I am glad this man followed his heart and married into my family!  He and his wife love each other very much, and I pray God gives them many blessed years together as they seek to serve Him.