Circle the Wagons and Return to Your First Love

Have you ever watched a good, old-fashioned Western? So often they’re interwoven with the story of settlers traveling West, braving the arduous journey in search of a better life. If danger was detected, the wagon master would call for everyone to circle the wagons. Drawing close together, they were safer and better able to face a threat.

Now that we’re post-covid, it’s become increasingly apparent how much the pandemic tossed and turned our lives. Jobs and economies were affected by layoffs, closures and hybrid working arrangements. Kids and families are still recovering from lost days at school and less-than-ideal learning environments. And socially, many of us are still trying to regain community.

Even more interesting is that our culture has tilted dangerously toward the wicked agendas of darkness. You can’t turn on the news without seeing the tearing down and outright attack on Christian values. The threat is very, very real.

Maybe it’s time to circle our wagons.

For your family, maybe it’s time to recenter and regroup. To reprioritize what’s important and what’s not. To fix your eyes and your hearts back on the Lord your God.

Perhaps it’s time we return to our first love.

If you read the gospels, Jesus was adamant about where your love and devotion should rest. Some would call Him extreme. “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37 NKJV).

It’s a call back to the commandment in Deuteronomy 6:5 with a promise of well-being when we put God first. “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

A marvelous thing happens when our hearts are set on God. All of life comes into alignment. Once the heart is right, everything else comes in line. Vision clears, confusion flees, peace comes. When the wicked agendas of society threaten our homes and the well-being of our children, we regain balance when our hearts are set on the Lord.

Love never fails, but if we don’t first love God, the love we extend to our fellow man will be out of order. Our witness to the world will be compromised. Especially in these times when the world emphasizes kindness while demanding unconditional love, our love for God becomes our anchor to distinguish wrong from right. To hate the sin but love the sinner.

When your family feels threatened, circle your wagons. Bring the kids close and remind everyone what comes first in your home. Return to your first love and your safe place in God.