We use to say, "Let's get down to brass tacks." Many who read that statement today won't have any idea what it means at all. Some of us older geesers will but most don't know how the saying originiated, what itt really means. It comes from the business of cutting cloth. A buyer and a seller of cloth can talk about how much a certain fabric would cost but wouldn't know until it was laid out on the cutting table and stretched across the brass tacks that were imbedded in the wood. The tacks were laid out in precise increments to give an exact measurementt.
To get to the heart of the matter is to get down to brass tacks. It is to wave aside all the guessing and see precisely what it is that you are buying, what it is that you are agreeing to or what it is that you are getting involved in. The heart of the matter is the unseen part that lies beneath, just out of sight requiring closer examination.
An employee may complain that they are not being paid enough when, in fact, they may simply not feel appreciated for the work they do. A wife may erupt in what appears to be outrage over her husband coming home late when dread of what might have happened to him was the true emotion beneath the angry outburst. A complimentary co-worker may be using flattery as a way of disarming you as they try to gain an advantage over you.
In America we prize decisive action, quick decisions and immediate results. This hurry to get'r done often leaves us holding the bag, wishing we had taken a little more time on the front end. So many marriages wind up being dashed upon the rocks of divorce because dangerous undercurrents of ethics, morals and beliefs were overlooked in the dash to the altar. I'm not talking about a long engagement period, I'm talking about a deep engaging period where you get down to those brass tacks and find out exactly what the cost of this relationship will actually be.
In 1 Samuel 16:7 we read, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" Of course, God can look directly into one's heart whereas we cannot. But we can look for evidence of one's heart. We can see how a man treats his mother, how a woman reacts around other men, how your prospective mate or business partner deals with disappointment.
It does take time, attention and a good deal of emotional energy to truly weigh out the actions, which reflect an individual's heart. You cannot arrive at an accurate understanding of a person's true feelings and motives by dipping your toe into the waters of his soul, you have to dive in deep: "The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out" (Prov 20:5).
Getting to the heart of the matter is not an easy matter but it is what really matters. Jus' Say'n.
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