A Glimpse of True Reality

Today the hottest rage on television seems to be the so called "reality shows", from the biggest loser, to the greatest race and everything in between people are hooked on so called "reality". I must confess that I watch very little reality TV because for me that is not my reality, it is someone else's, and my reality is more than I can handle so why add someone else's to the mix. Yet in many ways I believe we as followers of Christ can learn much from this trend that has hit our world, because you see this is not just another American trend, this is a worldwide trend. If indeed people are seeking reality then why not show them true reality, the reality of the struggles of a truly typical person, the reality of true life. What is the reality of life, or better yet what are the realities of life? Well let's start at the beginning; we are conceived in much pleasure, born through much pain, we are trained by our environment, encapsulated and conditioned by our culture, we strive for success, struggle with insecurity, doubt, fear, and lack of self confidence, we succeed as some things , fail at others, are constantly being compared to others, and no matter how high we may arise in stature there is always someone who has or will knock us off of our pedestal. If we have food we eat if we don't we die, if we have shelter we are comfortable if not we accept and adapt, if were rich rich were spoiled if were poor were thankful, and all of us are searching for peace, love and acceptance. We have a plan for our life and no matter how much we strive to accomplish it in the end it is our culture and economics that dictate more control than we could have ever imagined. If we marry we struggle to remain so, if we stay single we often desire not to be, if we have children they control our lives more than we could have ever imagined, and they teach us a side of love that can in no other way be attained. We strive to attain our goals, and after years of trials our bodies begin to fail and with great struggle we leave this world the same in which we came, naked with nothing. You see this truly is reality, oh yes I left out the parts of joy and laughter, not so much because I want to slant the truth, but no my intent was to create a more stark reality. You see the truth is that no matter how many moments of laughter, joy, or accomplishments we experience life is truly filled with great struggles, trials, and moments of pain and suffering. No amount of money, no number of friends, and no large collection of distractions can ever change the truth,"Life is Hard". It is conceived with pleasure birthed in pain it ends in pain and if you believe it will end for you in pleasure, this is reality. Having experienced this pain in such an amazing way this year I can say that I am happy for Dawn that her journey has ended in pleasure, and may her memory do so as well. You see people want to see hope, they want to see that yes we can experience this pain without failure, without utter desperation, we can not only survive we can thrive, and by doing so we help others to do so as well. This morning I had a thought that while it may offend some I do believe it to be quite true. I was walking by a koi fish pond yesterday  and I noticed that the fish were constantly searching for something to eat, they never stopped opening their mouths it was a s if they new something good was coming and they did not want to miss it, so they kept searching for it as if it were already there. I see many people in our world today in very much the same place, they are searching for hope, joy, peace, gratification, and much more, and they are so hungry they just keep their mouths open in pursuit of truth. And just as the koi respond when the food hits the water, they gobble up the truth with reckless abandon hoping to be filled and not miss a bite. The people of our world are searching for reality, not just the written reality but they are searching to see that reality lived out. Yes I believe that every question and every direction we need answers to is in the word of God, the Bible, and when you combine that with the ability to see this truth lived out around you that is reality, the reality that transforms lives. Yes I believe the things I have read, yes I believe that God is faithful, yes I believe the word is true, and when I live these beliefs out in the midst of trial then you too can see that yes, this is reality. It is this true reality that I believe people are seeking today, not the canned Christian response that says these are the promises complete with address and page number, no but the reality of stepping out and living those promises in the face of complete adversity even when the circumstances say otherwise. People are hungry for the truth, can we give it to them please, can we now and forever be real with one another and stop playing the games, no it's not all good, yes it is painful, but there is hope, and it is hope that we must walk in, hope that we must believe to be true, hope that lives within us, for what they see, that is the true "glimpse of true reality".