January 25, 1994
Our son was given one of those new pictures that look like some sort of decorative design but actually hide another picture. At first they appear as a series of artistic blobs arranged in lines and rows but if you focus a certain way on the one our son has, several dinosaurs appear in startling three-dimension. These amazing pieces of art are the ultimate in optical illusion.
Actually, you don’t look right at the picture. You have to let your eyes relax, without really focusing them on anything in the design or the obvious picture plane. Some suggest looking at a reflection in the glass but I find it works better if I don’t look at anything. It will even vanish if I am too quick to focus on the hidden picture when it starts appearing. After it fully takes shape I can move closer and see more details.
Some people cannot find the hidden picture at all. They must wonder at those who stand in awe in front of these “designs” raving at the animals, birds, and other forms. To them, it is only an orderly row of ink blots, and not even particularly attractive. Some of them must think, “There is no picture, these people just imagine it” or “I’ll believe it only if I can see it myself.”
I have no idea how the artists so cleverly conceal the hidden pictures or how our eyes can suddenly see what is not at all obvious. Even if you turn away from it, it disappears and the staring process has to take place all over again before the picture comes back. It does remind me of a verse in the Old Testament that says something about people being created with eternity in their hearts.
Whatever else that means, we do tend to do, say, and create things that demonstrate eternal realities. These picture, while probably not intending to do so, illustrate a prime truth that spiritual matters are not always visible to those who take only a casual glance. A quick look at circumstances seldom allow anyone to see God in them. One glance never reveals what is beyond visible dimensions of physical life.
It is not that God hides Himself from us. In fact, the Bible tells the entire history of how God revealed Himself, first in nature and the wonder of His creation, then in dreams and visions and in His mighty deeds, then in the Person of His Son, the Christ. God is a self-disclosing God.
The problem is with us. We don’t look for Him. We look at the surface of life and decide whether or not we enjoy the patterns, often trying to rearrange the order to suit us better. In doing so, we often miss what or Who is really there.
However, seeking after God requires something different than unfocused eyes. Jeremiah said to the exiled Jews: “For I know the plans I have for you, “ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
God goes on to say He will bring them out of captivity and into the land He promised them. He wants blessing and prosperity for them; their part is simply seeking Him with their whole heart, trusting that His plans are not evil or harmful.
For us, sometimes life does not resemble even a series of orderly blobs. It is difficult to find God in the chaos. Yet He is there. He offers hope and an eternal future for anyone who will stop looking at the chaos and search for Him.
Showing posts with label reality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reality. Show all posts
Monday, March 14, 2016
Monday, December 28, 2015
The reality of death ............. Parables 371
May 25, 1993
A few weeks ago a young man was shot and killed in an Edmonton restaurant.
Try visualizing the scene. Do you see a movie or television story with shabby café in the rough end of town, narrow, dark alleys and garbage littering the curbside? Do waiters look like gangsters? Are the patrons tough and rough when masked gunmen burst in demanding the cash register contents?
Or do you see a classy uptown establishment with patrons dripping in diamonds and thieves wearing professional black suits with nylons over their faces and non-glare lampblack rubbed on their gun barrels?
The Edmonton restaurant doesn’t fit either picture. Paneled in dark oak with nautical decor, it is neither shabby or outstandingly classy. The waiters are friendly, ordinary people. The food is wonderful. As for patrons, my husband and I had ate dinner there, a few hours before the crime. We are neither tough nor dripping in diamonds.
We don’t know for sure, but the pleasant young man who waited on our table may have been the victim. If so, had we eaten a few hours later we would have experienced the real horror of seeing him die. Being that close (in time) to a murder is somewhat unsettling. It doesn’t seem real. Movie and television scenes keep jumping into mind but none fit the place where we ate that day. We are unnerved that life can end so quickly yet it seems so unreal.
Realism is a big issue in today’s entertainment. Viewers are no longer content with fairy tales or implausible yarns with “happy ever after” endings. These, so some say, are not true to life, not authentic enough. Perhaps this is why there are so many “based on a true story” scripts appearing before our eyes, scripts with twists in the plot and shocking endings.
While credibility is important, I don’t think “reality” in the movies will ever match genuine reality. It can look real but genuine experiences do something inside us that the most vivid portrayal can never do.
For example, houses burn down on Hollywood sets yet none horrify us like watching the Branch Davidian cult headquarters destroyed by fire, live on television. The video of a real jet crashing at a genuine air show does something inside us no staged airplane or automobile disaster ever does. Reality carries a pathos not aroused by even the greatest stage direction.
Perhaps this is why we make up plays and write stories; the endings can be controlled and even if they are unpleasant, the actors are not really dead because they never really lived. None actually set themselves on fire or are cut down by stray bullets. In the movies, the good guys win and the bad guys lose if the script says so.
But real life is not always that fair. Good guys sometimes die young and bad guys grow old, rich, even dirty, picking up whatever they can grab, no matter who it rightfully belongs to. Perverted demigods care nothing for children and burn them. Thieves care nothing for young men who try to hide from their guns.
While we also personally try to control life much like writing scripts or giving stage direction, none can get around the fact life will end someday. God says, “It is appointed unto man once to die....” We cannot control that.
The best we can do is choose our eternal destiny while we are alive and choosing, trusting Christ even if there is a final unexpected twist in the plot. Furthermore, the reality we experience after this one does have a certainty about it: it never ends.
A few weeks ago a young man was shot and killed in an Edmonton restaurant.
Try visualizing the scene. Do you see a movie or television story with shabby café in the rough end of town, narrow, dark alleys and garbage littering the curbside? Do waiters look like gangsters? Are the patrons tough and rough when masked gunmen burst in demanding the cash register contents?
Or do you see a classy uptown establishment with patrons dripping in diamonds and thieves wearing professional black suits with nylons over their faces and non-glare lampblack rubbed on their gun barrels?
The Edmonton restaurant doesn’t fit either picture. Paneled in dark oak with nautical decor, it is neither shabby or outstandingly classy. The waiters are friendly, ordinary people. The food is wonderful. As for patrons, my husband and I had ate dinner there, a few hours before the crime. We are neither tough nor dripping in diamonds.
We don’t know for sure, but the pleasant young man who waited on our table may have been the victim. If so, had we eaten a few hours later we would have experienced the real horror of seeing him die. Being that close (in time) to a murder is somewhat unsettling. It doesn’t seem real. Movie and television scenes keep jumping into mind but none fit the place where we ate that day. We are unnerved that life can end so quickly yet it seems so unreal.
Realism is a big issue in today’s entertainment. Viewers are no longer content with fairy tales or implausible yarns with “happy ever after” endings. These, so some say, are not true to life, not authentic enough. Perhaps this is why there are so many “based on a true story” scripts appearing before our eyes, scripts with twists in the plot and shocking endings.
While credibility is important, I don’t think “reality” in the movies will ever match genuine reality. It can look real but genuine experiences do something inside us that the most vivid portrayal can never do.
For example, houses burn down on Hollywood sets yet none horrify us like watching the Branch Davidian cult headquarters destroyed by fire, live on television. The video of a real jet crashing at a genuine air show does something inside us no staged airplane or automobile disaster ever does. Reality carries a pathos not aroused by even the greatest stage direction.
Perhaps this is why we make up plays and write stories; the endings can be controlled and even if they are unpleasant, the actors are not really dead because they never really lived. None actually set themselves on fire or are cut down by stray bullets. In the movies, the good guys win and the bad guys lose if the script says so.
But real life is not always that fair. Good guys sometimes die young and bad guys grow old, rich, even dirty, picking up whatever they can grab, no matter who it rightfully belongs to. Perverted demigods care nothing for children and burn them. Thieves care nothing for young men who try to hide from their guns.
While we also personally try to control life much like writing scripts or giving stage direction, none can get around the fact life will end someday. God says, “It is appointed unto man once to die....” We cannot control that.
The best we can do is choose our eternal destiny while we are alive and choosing, trusting Christ even if there is a final unexpected twist in the plot. Furthermore, the reality we experience after this one does have a certainty about it: it never ends.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Fake Pleasure ....................... Parables 251
(January 23, 1991)
We got a card in the mail the other day that looked like an invoice. It said: “We have your order on reserve, ready to be mailed to you...” The product: “our version of a Rolex watch.” The bottom line... $39.95.
It nearly fooled me. At first I thought my husband decided an imitation would satisfy his desire for that pricey timepiece so he ordered one. Then I looked a little closer. The ink and style of writing were not right. The card was a sales gimmick. I pitched it in the garbage.
Imitation name-brands are usually less expensive. Besides, they look good to the casual observer, adding a touch of status without financial pain. The only problem is that imitations usually don’t last as long as the real thing. A Rolex starts in the hundreds... there is a reason that imitation was $39.95. It may have kept time for a while but somewhere, somehow, its true character would reveal itself.
There is a far more serious imitation being widely advertised and widely purchased. The only difference between it and a cheap watch is that anyone who buys it doesn’t know they have an imitation. They are convinced that what they have is the real thing. I’m talking about imitation pleasure.
Before you say, “pleasure is pleasure,” consider a verse that talks about the faith of Moses. It says he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; and choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.
Moses had been raised in a palace. He probably would be the next ruler in Egypt. He had wealth and education. He had all anyone could hope for in life. However, God made a claim on his life. He then had a choice to make: serve God or stay where he was. Saying no would be a sin; preferring anything other than serving God would be a sin. No matter how good the good life in the palace seemed, if Moses picked it, he would be picking sin. Instead, he choose to serve God and leave behind “the pleasures of sin.”
It is important to recognize that sin does include pleasure. When I think of someone killing a child or robbing a bank, I don’t think of the thrill they might get out of it; I think of the horror and the guilt. Yet there are sins that have enticed me with a promise of pleasure and when I gave in, I found that they delivered... there sometimes is pleasure in doing the wrong thing.
But the pleasure of sin is like other imitations. Up front, it seems the easier, less expensive route. Sometimes it offers status or at least a notch in one’s belt or a sense of personal achievement. It does the job, at least for a time... one version of the Bible translates it as “a short while.”
I’ve heard that some sins offer very intense pleasure. However, in spite of the intensity, there is no lasting satisfaction. Sin’s victim is duped into thinking if they could just get a little more, it would be enough. Slowly (or sometimes very quickly), they are addicted and they cannot stop. It is precisely here that imitation pleasure can be detected... it is never enough. There is no lasting satisfaction. The sinner is hooked.
By the grace of God, it is possible to escape that kind of addiction. Hope can be found in this truth: The imitation may seem great and offer what seems good for a short time, but God offers a pleasure that cannot even be compared with the real thing. It is the lasting joy of righteous living, a joy that Jesus told the disciples was “meat to eat that you know nothing of..”
It requires faith to forsake the imitation, but once the real thing is experienced, imitations can’t touch it.
We got a card in the mail the other day that looked like an invoice. It said: “We have your order on reserve, ready to be mailed to you...” The product: “our version of a Rolex watch.” The bottom line... $39.95.
It nearly fooled me. At first I thought my husband decided an imitation would satisfy his desire for that pricey timepiece so he ordered one. Then I looked a little closer. The ink and style of writing were not right. The card was a sales gimmick. I pitched it in the garbage.
Imitation name-brands are usually less expensive. Besides, they look good to the casual observer, adding a touch of status without financial pain. The only problem is that imitations usually don’t last as long as the real thing. A Rolex starts in the hundreds... there is a reason that imitation was $39.95. It may have kept time for a while but somewhere, somehow, its true character would reveal itself.
There is a far more serious imitation being widely advertised and widely purchased. The only difference between it and a cheap watch is that anyone who buys it doesn’t know they have an imitation. They are convinced that what they have is the real thing. I’m talking about imitation pleasure.
Before you say, “pleasure is pleasure,” consider a verse that talks about the faith of Moses. It says he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; and choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.
Moses had been raised in a palace. He probably would be the next ruler in Egypt. He had wealth and education. He had all anyone could hope for in life. However, God made a claim on his life. He then had a choice to make: serve God or stay where he was. Saying no would be a sin; preferring anything other than serving God would be a sin. No matter how good the good life in the palace seemed, if Moses picked it, he would be picking sin. Instead, he choose to serve God and leave behind “the pleasures of sin.”
It is important to recognize that sin does include pleasure. When I think of someone killing a child or robbing a bank, I don’t think of the thrill they might get out of it; I think of the horror and the guilt. Yet there are sins that have enticed me with a promise of pleasure and when I gave in, I found that they delivered... there sometimes is pleasure in doing the wrong thing.
But the pleasure of sin is like other imitations. Up front, it seems the easier, less expensive route. Sometimes it offers status or at least a notch in one’s belt or a sense of personal achievement. It does the job, at least for a time... one version of the Bible translates it as “a short while.”
I’ve heard that some sins offer very intense pleasure. However, in spite of the intensity, there is no lasting satisfaction. Sin’s victim is duped into thinking if they could just get a little more, it would be enough. Slowly (or sometimes very quickly), they are addicted and they cannot stop. It is precisely here that imitation pleasure can be detected... it is never enough. There is no lasting satisfaction. The sinner is hooked.
By the grace of God, it is possible to escape that kind of addiction. Hope can be found in this truth: The imitation may seem great and offer what seems good for a short time, but God offers a pleasure that cannot even be compared with the real thing. It is the lasting joy of righteous living, a joy that Jesus told the disciples was “meat to eat that you know nothing of..”
It requires faith to forsake the imitation, but once the real thing is experienced, imitations can’t touch it.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Is hell for real? ................ Parables 186
October 11, 1989
Many folks don’t believe in a place called HELL. Some insist the only hell is this life and death is an escape from it. Others think hell is not a real place but a state of mind. And some claim that hell is where they would like to wind up because they think that’s where all their friends will be and they expect one big eternal party.
Those who claim that hell is non-existent often base their belief on a conviction that hell is not taught in the Bible, that it is simply a scare tactic used by unscrupulous preachers. But fire and brimstone does have scriptural basis despite how it might be insensitively preached. Isaiah speaks of “everlasting burnings” and a place where “their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched...”
John the Baptist said that Christ would, “gather his wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” And Jesus Himself spoke many times of “everlasting fire” and “eternal punishment.”
The Apostle Paul described hell this way: “...the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
If hell were this life and death an escape from it, God would not have said, “The wages of sin is death...” or that “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Thus death, according to the Word of God, is not the end but entrance into an eternal existence in either of two places. Jesus affirmed an actual location when He said “... to a PLACE God has prepared for the devil and his angels.” And He described hell’s alternative when He told His disciples, “I go to prepare a PLACE for you... in My Fathers’ house there are many rooms... (John 14).
Is hell one big party? Doesn’t sound like it so far. Note that it is a place where the unrepentant will be separated from God and His Son forever. That means if the sense of God’s presence is not in hell, then all the things that describe Him will not be there either. For instance, Jesus is the light of the world and His glory will illuminate heaven. Hell will be dark. Jesus is truth. Hell will be filled with lies. Jesus is love. Hell will be unimaginable hate. Jesus is merciful and kind. There is no compassion in hell.
Jesus Christ is called the solid rock, a firm foundation. There will be nothing firm to stand on in hell, perhaps even a sense of continual unstableness, even falling. Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life. There will be eternal, unsatisfied hunger in hell. Christ is our peace. Hell will have no quiet, no tranquility, and no peace.
Those who enjoy their sin think hell might be a place to enjoy it forever, but even sin becomes boring, tedious. Perhaps hell includes not being able to stop sinning, like riding a merry-go-round that at first is fun but the blasted thing won’t stop and you can’t get off. I can’t imagine eternal pleasure in that.
No, we haven’t been given coordinates for hell’s location, nor is there an address or a thorough description. Words like “lake of fire” might be figures of speech. But descriptions like “everlasting destruction” are good enough for me. I don’t have any desire for even a brief visit.
Many folks don’t believe in a place called HELL. Some insist the only hell is this life and death is an escape from it. Others think hell is not a real place but a state of mind. And some claim that hell is where they would like to wind up because they think that’s where all their friends will be and they expect one big eternal party.
Those who claim that hell is non-existent often base their belief on a conviction that hell is not taught in the Bible, that it is simply a scare tactic used by unscrupulous preachers. But fire and brimstone does have scriptural basis despite how it might be insensitively preached. Isaiah speaks of “everlasting burnings” and a place where “their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched...”
John the Baptist said that Christ would, “gather his wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” And Jesus Himself spoke many times of “everlasting fire” and “eternal punishment.”
The Apostle Paul described hell this way: “...the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
If hell were this life and death an escape from it, God would not have said, “The wages of sin is death...” or that “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Thus death, according to the Word of God, is not the end but entrance into an eternal existence in either of two places. Jesus affirmed an actual location when He said “... to a PLACE God has prepared for the devil and his angels.” And He described hell’s alternative when He told His disciples, “I go to prepare a PLACE for you... in My Fathers’ house there are many rooms... (John 14).
Is hell one big party? Doesn’t sound like it so far. Note that it is a place where the unrepentant will be separated from God and His Son forever. That means if the sense of God’s presence is not in hell, then all the things that describe Him will not be there either. For instance, Jesus is the light of the world and His glory will illuminate heaven. Hell will be dark. Jesus is truth. Hell will be filled with lies. Jesus is love. Hell will be unimaginable hate. Jesus is merciful and kind. There is no compassion in hell.
Jesus Christ is called the solid rock, a firm foundation. There will be nothing firm to stand on in hell, perhaps even a sense of continual unstableness, even falling. Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life. There will be eternal, unsatisfied hunger in hell. Christ is our peace. Hell will have no quiet, no tranquility, and no peace.
Those who enjoy their sin think hell might be a place to enjoy it forever, but even sin becomes boring, tedious. Perhaps hell includes not being able to stop sinning, like riding a merry-go-round that at first is fun but the blasted thing won’t stop and you can’t get off. I can’t imagine eternal pleasure in that.
No, we haven’t been given coordinates for hell’s location, nor is there an address or a thorough description. Words like “lake of fire” might be figures of speech. But descriptions like “everlasting destruction” are good enough for me. I don’t have any desire for even a brief visit.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Reality ............. Parables 102
A five-year-old said, “Wonder Woman is a real person - and she really does all those things on television.” When questioned about his philosophy of reality, he strongly insisted that he “knew” his heroine was very real.
Philosophy is simply the pursuit of wisdom. One aspect of this pursuit is understanding what is real, what actually exists. Whether a philosopher teaches at a university, or just sits in front of a TV set, most (over 5) agree that Wonder Woman exists only on film in television studios. But what about other things? How do we know what is real?
Back in the days of Aristotle, the “realists” said reality is found in what we can see, hear, touch, taste and smell. In other words, if a thing could not be somehow perceived by the senses, it is mere illusion or imagination. The extreme realist denies the value of reasoning and logic as he searches for wisdom and truth.
In contrast, Plato, another philosopher, said truth is found only in the mind of men; that man through intellectual reasoning could reach an understanding of what is real and true. He believed discernible matter only confused the issue. Of course the extreme “idealist” denies the value of sensory experience and the reality of the physical world.
There are, of course, oversimplifications of complex philosophical ideas. However, both Plate and Aristotle expressed ideas about reality that are common today. They especially become evident when the subject of God and faith is raised.
On these subjects, the philosophy of the ordinary realist sounds something like this, “I won’t believe in anything I can’t see!” He demands visible, material proof of the existence of God. Evidence exists but this is rejected and the realist proclaims himself to be an atheist or agnostic.
There are people who think like Plato too. They presume that ultimate reality is only found in the mind. Therefore, the evidence for God is rejected in favor of looking inside their own minds. Unfortunately, the mind of man cannot rise any higher than himself so they stop there. The best they can do is shape a god of their own imagination, one made in their own image - and that is the god they choose - usually to their disappointment.
The Christian has a philosophy of reality too. We believe that ultimate reality can only be found in God. We don’t find it a problem that He is Spirit and cannot be seen. Nor do we rely on what can be seen in His creation to be a complete statement of what He is like. Instead, we draw our understanding of the reality of God from His revelation of Himself through His written Word, the Bible, and through His living Word, Jesus Christ.
That revelation does not mean Christians reject the value of the human mind or of the senses. Reasoning has importance and so does sensory experience, but our reasoning and perceptions are inaccurate because of sin and the fact that we are finite.
Proverbs tells us not to “lean on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge Him” . . . “There is a way that seems right to a man but the end of it is the way of death.” We don’t know everything.
Hebrews 11 says “ . . . the things that are seen were not made of things which appear . . . “ We can’t see everything.
God transcends both our minds and what we see . . . He created both.
Human vision is too narrow, the mind too small. The philosophers of this world look in vain for that which cannot be seen through observation, and reason in vain about that which cannot be perceived through reasoning.
Instead, the Bible says that wisdom and understanding begin with “the fear of the LORD.” Obviously, before we can fear Him and find wisdom, we must believe that He exists. To know Him through faith in His revelation of Himself opens us to a wisdom that sees reality through His eyes and a philosophy that understands it through His thoughts.
Philosophy is simply the pursuit of wisdom. One aspect of this pursuit is understanding what is real, what actually exists. Whether a philosopher teaches at a university, or just sits in front of a TV set, most (over 5) agree that Wonder Woman exists only on film in television studios. But what about other things? How do we know what is real?
Back in the days of Aristotle, the “realists” said reality is found in what we can see, hear, touch, taste and smell. In other words, if a thing could not be somehow perceived by the senses, it is mere illusion or imagination. The extreme realist denies the value of reasoning and logic as he searches for wisdom and truth.
In contrast, Plato, another philosopher, said truth is found only in the mind of men; that man through intellectual reasoning could reach an understanding of what is real and true. He believed discernible matter only confused the issue. Of course the extreme “idealist” denies the value of sensory experience and the reality of the physical world.
There are, of course, oversimplifications of complex philosophical ideas. However, both Plate and Aristotle expressed ideas about reality that are common today. They especially become evident when the subject of God and faith is raised.
On these subjects, the philosophy of the ordinary realist sounds something like this, “I won’t believe in anything I can’t see!” He demands visible, material proof of the existence of God. Evidence exists but this is rejected and the realist proclaims himself to be an atheist or agnostic.
There are people who think like Plato too. They presume that ultimate reality is only found in the mind. Therefore, the evidence for God is rejected in favor of looking inside their own minds. Unfortunately, the mind of man cannot rise any higher than himself so they stop there. The best they can do is shape a god of their own imagination, one made in their own image - and that is the god they choose - usually to their disappointment.
The Christian has a philosophy of reality too. We believe that ultimate reality can only be found in God. We don’t find it a problem that He is Spirit and cannot be seen. Nor do we rely on what can be seen in His creation to be a complete statement of what He is like. Instead, we draw our understanding of the reality of God from His revelation of Himself through His written Word, the Bible, and through His living Word, Jesus Christ.
That revelation does not mean Christians reject the value of the human mind or of the senses. Reasoning has importance and so does sensory experience, but our reasoning and perceptions are inaccurate because of sin and the fact that we are finite.
Proverbs tells us not to “lean on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge Him” . . . “There is a way that seems right to a man but the end of it is the way of death.” We don’t know everything.
Hebrews 11 says “ . . . the things that are seen were not made of things which appear . . . “ We can’t see everything.
God transcends both our minds and what we see . . . He created both.
Human vision is too narrow, the mind too small. The philosophers of this world look in vain for that which cannot be seen through observation, and reason in vain about that which cannot be perceived through reasoning.
Instead, the Bible says that wisdom and understanding begin with “the fear of the LORD.” Obviously, before we can fear Him and find wisdom, we must believe that He exists. To know Him through faith in His revelation of Himself opens us to a wisdom that sees reality through His eyes and a philosophy that understands it through His thoughts.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Fantasy vs. Reality ...................... Parables 095
Over the holidays I saw a helicopter blow up, a water tower shot full of holes and the water pour out, a great white shark attack a tram car full of people, and a young man change from a 150 pound weakling to a 200 pound muscleman in a puff of smoke. I saw King Kong face to face, experienced an avalanche down a mountain side and was fired at by armored space soldiers.
A few days later, I went on a space flight, saw submarines embarking on a tour of the arctic, and climbed up a tree house with rooms and running water... but none of it was real. The helicopter was intact 20 minutes later. So was the water tower. The shark was polyester, King Kong was hydraulically operated, the avalanche an illusion, and so on. The tree even had plastic leaves - if you looked close.
You guessed it, we were at Universal Studios and Disneyland - where fantasy is made so real that it almost becomes reality. In fact, for most of the thousands that come, it is reality. The people, the hot dogs, Mickey Mouse, the rides, arcades, stores, lights, sights and smoke - how much more real could they be?
As I sat on a white fibreglass bench in the 2nd floor of the Star Tours building, I thought that in spite of the intricate technology needed to run the machinery, how much easier it is to control fantasy than real life. In Disney’s world, the good guys always win, the equipment rarely breaks down, and the heros live happily ever after.
But what about the real world? Two nights later we saw some of it. Several cars trying to occupy the same space at the same time left two children without parents. Unexpected low temperatures brought out a voucher program so the “homeless of San Fernando Valley” could find shelter in local motels. A man staggered alone along a deserted street on December 25, his Christmas “cheer” obviously liquid and cheerless. Streets were unpredictably lined with $300,000 homes beside neighborhoods of shacks made from boxes that once warmed refrigerators. Friends showed us their complex burglar alarm system - yet it was not enough... they plan to move to a less crime-riddled neighborhood in February.
The people who live in this kind of reality need their Disneyland. For most of them fantasy (or a bottle or chemicals) is the only escape they have. And Disneyland is fun... but eventually the lights are turned out, the gates closed, and everyone goes home... to a real world of tribulation.
I’ve tried fantasy, escaping life by losing myself in a book, or in my imagination, or in the wild wonderful world of amusements. Sometimes I need to “escape” to relax and be refreshed, but all too often I have done it to avoid reality standing before me saying, “What are you going to do about me?” Jesus said to His disciples what is almost an understatement: “In the world you will have tribulation.” That is reality. But then He added, “But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Jesus faced the worst possible reality. He left the glory of heaven to come to a sin-sick world where He was despised and rejected, spit on and crucified. Yet He conquered all that kind of reality could do to Him and rose from the dead. He is now seated in glory at the right hand of the Father, a far greater reality than the passing problems of this world.
Yet I live here, for now, and the reality of this life is tough. I don’t mind admitting I am weak and sometimes afraid of it. Nor can I always cope with many ordinary difficulties and obstacles, never mind life’s horrors. However, fantasy doesn’t solve anything. I need the reality of the Lord. I am thankful that He offers His overcoming power to me through faith in Him.
Because of Him, I can face the not-so-pleasant temporary realities too, even with a joyful heart. And because of Him, we enjoyed our vacation to California, not as an escape but because Jesus was with us supplying all our needs - whether we were on the freeways or riding merry-go-rounds.
A few days later, I went on a space flight, saw submarines embarking on a tour of the arctic, and climbed up a tree house with rooms and running water... but none of it was real. The helicopter was intact 20 minutes later. So was the water tower. The shark was polyester, King Kong was hydraulically operated, the avalanche an illusion, and so on. The tree even had plastic leaves - if you looked close.
You guessed it, we were at Universal Studios and Disneyland - where fantasy is made so real that it almost becomes reality. In fact, for most of the thousands that come, it is reality. The people, the hot dogs, Mickey Mouse, the rides, arcades, stores, lights, sights and smoke - how much more real could they be?
As I sat on a white fibreglass bench in the 2nd floor of the Star Tours building, I thought that in spite of the intricate technology needed to run the machinery, how much easier it is to control fantasy than real life. In Disney’s world, the good guys always win, the equipment rarely breaks down, and the heros live happily ever after.
But what about the real world? Two nights later we saw some of it. Several cars trying to occupy the same space at the same time left two children without parents. Unexpected low temperatures brought out a voucher program so the “homeless of San Fernando Valley” could find shelter in local motels. A man staggered alone along a deserted street on December 25, his Christmas “cheer” obviously liquid and cheerless. Streets were unpredictably lined with $300,000 homes beside neighborhoods of shacks made from boxes that once warmed refrigerators. Friends showed us their complex burglar alarm system - yet it was not enough... they plan to move to a less crime-riddled neighborhood in February.
The people who live in this kind of reality need their Disneyland. For most of them fantasy (or a bottle or chemicals) is the only escape they have. And Disneyland is fun... but eventually the lights are turned out, the gates closed, and everyone goes home... to a real world of tribulation.
I’ve tried fantasy, escaping life by losing myself in a book, or in my imagination, or in the wild wonderful world of amusements. Sometimes I need to “escape” to relax and be refreshed, but all too often I have done it to avoid reality standing before me saying, “What are you going to do about me?” Jesus said to His disciples what is almost an understatement: “In the world you will have tribulation.” That is reality. But then He added, “But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Jesus faced the worst possible reality. He left the glory of heaven to come to a sin-sick world where He was despised and rejected, spit on and crucified. Yet He conquered all that kind of reality could do to Him and rose from the dead. He is now seated in glory at the right hand of the Father, a far greater reality than the passing problems of this world.
Yet I live here, for now, and the reality of this life is tough. I don’t mind admitting I am weak and sometimes afraid of it. Nor can I always cope with many ordinary difficulties and obstacles, never mind life’s horrors. However, fantasy doesn’t solve anything. I need the reality of the Lord. I am thankful that He offers His overcoming power to me through faith in Him.
Because of Him, I can face the not-so-pleasant temporary realities too, even with a joyful heart. And because of Him, we enjoyed our vacation to California, not as an escape but because Jesus was with us supplying all our needs - whether we were on the freeways or riding merry-go-rounds.
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