Amazing!
My friend with whom I was playing billiards thought my cue ball
had leapt over another ball and knocked the eight-ball into the
corner pocket. This was a mystery to me since nothing of the sort
had transpired. We were playing pool in a psychiatric hospital
because my friend could no longer function in the world. His reality
had completely changed. He heard voices and saw illusions. It
was a funny scene fraught with much sadness because reality no
longer existed for my friend.
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History
recounts many people for whom the inability to distinguish reality
from illusion led to disaster. I recently read the account of a
group of soldiers in North Africa whose supply of water had run
out. As their thirst increased and their anxiety elevated, they
began to see mirages. Some of the soldiers were found dead around
a sand dune that had apparently appeared as an oasis of water and
plenty. |
So
how do illusions and mirages apply to us as followers of Jesus?
What do we view as reality that is only illusion? - Do we seek to satisfy our "soul thirst" with
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- More knowledge?
- More possessions?
- More power?
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None
of these, in themselves, are wrong. But when used to satisfy the
soul, they are a mirage.
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Isaiah,
speaking for God to the children of Israel, admonished them against
striving after mirages when he said, “Why spend money on what
is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen
to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest
of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.”
Isaiah 55:2-3 NIV |
This
week, let us, together, assess the status of our strivings. Are
we seeking after that which will truly satisfy our souls or the
illusions the world has to offer?
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Sharing
the journey with you,
 |