real vs reality

Last weekend it was 80 degrees outside, and I found myself raking leaves in shorts and a t-shirt. If I wanted to, I could have taken my shirt off, but there were no ladies around to impress. The calendar told me it was October, and my experience with the previous 21 Octobers told me it should have been much cooler.

So I finished cleaning up the front yard, knowing that mom and dad would be proud of my hard work. However, when I got home from work that night, you couldn’t tell that I spent two hours piling up leaves and hauling them away. Part of this was my propensity for shoddy yard work, and part of it was that the rest of the leaves from the trees in the yard fell while I was away. Either way, the semi-clean lawn that I worked on all afternoon was gone.

What is real is not always reality. However, reality always catches up in the end.

What is real, is that in the fleeting days of October, it was a balmy 80 degrees. What is reality is that the earth’s axis is moving the northern hemisphere away from the sun and cold is inevitable (as was proved this week).

What is real is that I did an adequate job of raking the leaves. What is reality is that I will have to rake again, but it will be much easier the second time than if I waited for all the leaves to fall.

In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church he writes, “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed; The new has come!”  2 Corinthians 5:17

What was real is that we were once dead in our sin, but we are now alive in Christ. What is reality right now is that we live in a world full of sin, and we continually return to our sinful habits.

“Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” Proverbs 26:11

What is real is that despite several years of recognizing my sins dealing with lust and sexual purity, I still struggle. What is reality is that Christ has given me his righteousness and he God calls me his son, for “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1

What is real is that I live with my parents and feel alone when I go through the week, not seeing the brothers and sisters in Christ that I locked arms with for years in college.

What is reality is that those same friends yesterday are still the same friends today, and “A friend loves at all times and a brother is bred for adversity” Proverbs 17:17. There are constant reminders in my life that the feelings of loneliness and isolation are lies, and that I have not been forgotten. My self-worth is not to be found in my friends, but in the fact that Christ sought after me while I was still a long way off.

What is real is that some Sundays in church and even when I read the Bible, I feel like I am reading the same passages and hearing tired clichés.

What is reality is that God’s truth is timeless, and truth doesn’t change, but it does transform people. Yes it sounds the same because God is still the same. And God’s unchangeable and perfect character is something that should be praised. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever” Hebrews 13:8

My favorite book of the Bible is 2 Corinthians. Paul is writing to the church in light of “Superapostles” who have come to undermine Paul’s teaching, to tell them that Jesus is not enough. They preach something more than he had written them previously, “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2)

 My post college life is telling me that the past four years were just an experience to be had. That I had just gone through a “Christian” phase. I need to just focus on my job and earning money so I can support myself and a family one day. That should be a reward in itself. You can keep going to church, after all, it’s good to persevere the traditions. But don’t go too crazy with it. Don’t waste your time sitting in silence, “praying” when you could be doing something else more productive. Indulge in your sexual desires. It’s natural and it would be barbaric to suppress them. The Jesus you can tell people about is the one who only told people to treat others as yourself. Ignore the part that said to love God with all your heart soul and mind. (Matthew 22:34-40).

What is real is that the entirety of my faith is being attacked everyday.

What is reality is this:

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

I live in a world where sin is prevalent and stumbling blocks are numerous.

I’m heading for a world where there are no tears, and no obstacles to God.

That world is already here. I can choose to live in that truth, or not.