The Real World

 

On one September day about 40 years ago…

“Ryan, it’s your turn to cut the lawn and when you are done with that you should go stack some wood so that we are ready for winter.”

“But Dad,” I replied, “We already have most of the wood stacked and it’s only September!”

“We have enough wood for this winter…but the wood needs to be stacked to be ready for next winter, now get to work!”

“I can’t wait until I get to be a dad and have kids of my own, ‘cuz then I can make them do all my work like you do!”

“Ha!” my dad laughed…yes…he actually laughed, I did not see what was so funny, as I was being incredibly serious, “You wait until you are in the real world…then we’ll see how easy you think it is to be an adult.”

At the time, my perception of adulthood was a little skewed.  In the eyes of my 10 year old self, I saw adults as large demanding people who were the recipients of free slave labor from children. Now, however, as an adult, I see children as small demanding people who are the recipients of free slave labor for their parents. 

It has become quite fascinating to me that no matter what stage of life I find myself in, the perception of reality seems to be different than when I was younger.  As a child, I could only see the reality that was before me.  That reality consisted of; Mom provides the food, Dad makes you work, little siblings are annoying, and children should be able to play and do whatever they want, whenever they want.

My teenage reality consisted of; Mom provides food and clean clothes, Dad makes you do work in order to use the car and then expects you to put gas in “his” vehicle, little siblings are still annoying and teenagers should be able to live for free in their parents’ home, eat all of their food and use all of their gas, go out with friends and no longer be required to mow.

College reality…is the exact same as teenage reality.

Even as an adult I am learning that my perception of reality may not be fully accurate, especially as I consider the truth of the scriptures.  Far too often, we attempt to bring all things into our narrow view of how we think things ought to be, as opposed to how things truly are in the eyes of the Lord.  Matthew 26:57-68, reveal this principle as the religious leaders have Jesus arrested and then attempt to condemn him to crimes that he hadn’t even committed.  They do this to preserve the reality that they believe that they are living in. However, what they fail to miss is that there is a bigger and even more real-reality in the spiritual realm of God.  The unseen reality of God, existed before our worldly reality today…so which one is more real?

While to the “real world” it appears that Jesus is about to lose, the unseen reality is, that God is about to attain the ultimate victory!

May we come to see the true things of God…the unseen and eternal things of God…the victory that only Jesus brings.